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With the dog days of summer upon us, it’s the perfect time to check out a few dog-themed fiction and nonfiction titles. Of course, we have classics like “James Herriot’s Favorite Dog Stories,” “Travels with Charley” by John Steinbeck, and the popular “Marley and Me” by John Grogan. We’re always adding new books to our collection, too. Here are some of our latest; I’m “paws-itive” you’ll find something you like.

Best-selling author of “A Dog’s Purpose,” W. Bruce Cameron’s most recent novel is “Love Clancy: Diary of a Good Dog.” Cameron has a way of capturing the character and spirit of dogs in his novels and this one is no different. Clancy, a yellow Lab, and the narrator of our story, offers insight into the life of his person, JayB, who recently lost his job and is figuring out his next move. Our canine companion keeps us informed with entries from his very own diary. You’ll come across a host of quirky characters, both human and furry, like JayB’s romantic interests, Odin, the older neighbor’s dog, and that pesky cat, Kelsey. Needless to say, the dogs are the stars in this humorous and touching read.

“The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves” by Alexandra Horowitz is a wonderful observation on the early development of a puppy throughout a year. Horowitz documents the day-to-day development of her own puppy, Quid, starting as a newborn and follows her as she becomes part of the Horowitz household, replete with three humans, two dogs and as Horowitz puts it a “wary cat.” How do puppies see and smell; what shapes their personalities? How do they socialize with people and other animals? This scientifically researched book is quite engaging and you’ll come away knowing a great deal about animal growth and behavior.

Murder mystery fans will enjoy the latest addition in David Rosenfelt’s K Team series, “Good Dog, Bad Cop.” Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel join forces again to try and solve a cold case for Paterson Police Department. This time it involves someone quite well known to Douglas, his former mentor, Jimmy Dietrich. Dietrich, along with Susan Avery, were found dead, shot in his boat floating in the ocean outside of Long Island Sound. Was this really a murder-suicide? Perhaps it’s connected to the earlier execution-style killing of Danny Avery, Susan’s husband, who was also a former Paterson detective. Can you solve the mystery?

Be sure to stop by the display case near the circulation desk this July through August 15th on your next visit to the Library. You’ll see pictures of famous authors with their dogs and get to peruse new and classic books available for check out. Don’t forget to grab a FREE dog bookmark while supplies last. I’m sure you’ll find them quite fetching.

On June 3, 2023, Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes honored the Friends of A.K. Smiley Public Library (Friends) as one of the 2023 Non-Profits of the Year for Assembly District 50. The honor was awarded to the Friends for their support of the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Since 2006 the Friends have co-sponsored and supported the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. This sponsorship was initiated when Smiley Library abruptly closed its grant-supported Adult Literacy Program due to the lack of local matching funds. Adult learners and their tutors sought support from the Friends.

In 2011 the Friends Board adopted a resolution which recognizes that adult literacy is of vital importance to the economic and social fabric of Redlands. The Friends consider the Adult Literacy Program one of its essential missions and promote adult literacy through public outreach and financial support. The Friends assist the literacy coordinator in reaching out to the community, forming new partnerships, and receiving grants and donations. A Friends-Library-city-state partnership has led to an expanded Adult Literacy Program which includes: family literacy, computer classes, anthology publications, book groups, leadership classes, and more.

Friends volunteers help raise funds for Library programs, such as the children and teen summer reading programs, Library programs, and the Adult Literacy Program. The Friends raise monies through memberships, bookstore sales, special sales, auctions, and private donations. Private donations directed to adult literacy are used as matching funds for literacy grants, events, and materials.

The Friends always seek new opportunities to reach out to the community. One volunteer highlighted her recent involvement at the Redlands Saturday Market, where she and other Friends volunteers shared information about the adult literacy program and the Library. She was amazed that many people did not know about A.K. Smiley Public Library or the Adult Literacy Program. Through this outreach, more than eight people volunteered to become literacy tutors.

Kim Green, a Friends board member, volunteer tutor, and Adult Literacy computer class instructor, shared: Volunteering as a tutor with the Adult Literacy Program led me to become involved with the Friends of the Library, and I’m very proud of what both organizations provide to the Redlands community. As a volunteer tutor, I have witnessed firsthand the life-changing power learning to read holds. What most of us take for granted – being able to understand job applications or driver license tests, helping our children with their homework, reading signs and menus – is a daunting if not impossible challenge for more than 20 percent of our community. The Adult Literacy Program is comprised of people of all ages and cultural and ethnic backgrounds, bound by the common belief that the ability to read, write, and communicate is imperative for connecting with our families, community, and world. I am incredibly proud to live where the powerful skill of literacy is available to anyone who expresses their interest and willingness to commit to the work necessary.

The Friends, literacy staff, and adult literacy volunteers witness the life-changing impact of adult literacy as adult learners reach their goals of obtaining new or better jobs, pursing their own education, helping their children with schoolwork, navigating medical decisions, volunteering in the community, earning their citizenship, and gaining self-esteem.

The Adult Literacy Program needs more volunteers to help adults improve their reading and writing skills. Please consider attending the next tutor orientation scheduled for August 22, 2023. If you have any questions or would like to attend the orientation, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4109 or email literacy@akspl.org

If you know someone who needs literacy services, please ask them to contact Diane Shimota. All literacy services are free and confidential. Training, materials, and ongoing support are provided. As many literacy volunteers say, “This is the best volunteer opportunity in Redlands!”

Looking for love, laser guns, and the decimation of Earth? Here are some new sci-fi books to enjoy these bright June days.

Malka Older returns with a cozy gaslamp mystery set on the planet Jupiter. The Mimicking of Known Successes centers on Mossa, a mysterious investigator, living on a human outpost on Jupiter many decades after the Earth has become uninhabitable. Mossa is sent off to look into the disappearance of a scholar from a local university that specializes in the rehabilitation of our home planet. While it is unclear what has happened to the missing man, what is clear is that she will need the assistance of a brilliant scholar from that same university. Only problem is the one she already knows happens to be her ex-girlfriend, Pleiti. Drawn into the mystery, the two must figure out how the missing man, a murdered doomsayer, and stolen genetic material of extinct animals all fit together.

Frontier by Grace Curtis is a western sci-fi set in a corrupt land and it centers on a protagonist fueled by love. Three hundred years have passed since humanity splintered into two factions: Those that chose to abandon a dying planet and seek their fortunes in other worlds, and those that stayed. The two factions come clashing together when the Stranger, a woman born in space, comes crashing down on Earth. Finding herself alone, the Stranger must navigate a hostile environment, and a humanity that deems all things involving space illegal. She meets zealots, convinced the planet’s climate problems are retribution, sheriffs obsessed with power, and many that are merely trying to survive. Also, a drug smuggling turtle. The Stranger must navigate her way to her objective, a way back home, and a way back to the woman she loves.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh is an epic space opera that begins on the Gaea station, where some of the last remnants of humans are determined to survive. Kyr (known as Vallie to her twin brother, Magnus, and Valkyr to her squad mates) longs for the day she will be assigned to be a soldier.

Training to be the best since childhood, she longs to avenge Earth, destroyed before her birth, by a collective of alien beings known as the majo. All is going to plan, until the day the assignments are handed out. Kyr’s brother is sent out on a mission he is guaranteed not to return from and Kyr, deemed by Command to contain too much valuable genetic material to waste, is assigned to the Nursery, to birth the next generation of soldiers. Devastated, Kyr sets off from her home, to save her brother and avenge humanity. But by doing so, may find out what really happened all those years ago and what Command is really hiding.

Enjoy these books and many more with prominent LGBTQIA+ representation at your local library, and remember that libraries are for everyone. Happy Pride!

May was Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. We can go ahead and extend the celebration just a little bit longer with these cookbooks from Smiley Public Library.

Spanning the Indian and Pacific oceans is an archipelago of 17,000 islands known as Indonesia. Some familiar islands might be Bali, Java, and Sumatra. Chef and author Petty Pandean-Elliott gives us a culinary tour in her book, “The Indonesian Table.” With corn coming into season, do consider making Sweetcorn Fritters with Chilli and Tomato Sambal to go with barbecue burgers or steak. A familiar Indonesian dish is satay and one to try might be Pork Satay with Chilli, Ginger, and Lime. As a side dish, you can swap plain rice for Sweetcorn Rice, Turmeric Coconut Rice, or Village Fried Rice. Coconut Pudding with Palm Sugar Syrup and Roasted Cashews or Pineapple Biscuits would be a sweet ending to a tasty meal.

“6 Spices 60 Dishes” by Ruta Kahate gives home cooks an array of easy Indian fare to add new flavors to their everyday meals. The six spices Ruta features are asafetida, cayenne, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and turmeric. The majority of recipes are plant-based with many that are also Vegan and gluten-free. Pink Lentils with Kale is spiced with cumin seeds, asafetida, and turmeric and served over a bed of fluffy steamed rice. Other quick and fragrant choices are Indian Pineapple Curry, Tricolor Salad, and Golden Root Veggies Stir Fry. Meat lovers need not feel left out as Ruta has included a select number of egg, seafood, and meat dishes, too.

Grilled Shrimp and Mango Rice Paper Rolls, Spicy Oyster Mushroom and Lemongrass Stir-Fry, and Char Siu Roasted Cauliflower are a few of the tempting vegetable-forward dishes you’ll discover inside Andrea Nguyen’s latest cookbook, “Ever-Green Vietnamese.” Soups, salads, and sandwiches are well represented and include recipes for Fast Vegetarian Pho, Confetti Broccoli and Herb Slaw, plus Steamed Bahn Mi Lettuce Wraps. For a little something sweet, there’s Peanut and Sesame Candy, Vietnamese Mocha Cake, and refreshing Coconut-Coffee Pops.

Caution: Don’t look at this book on an empty stomach! If you do, you’ll be twice as hungry as before. “Did You Eat Yet?” by Ronnie Woo pays tribute to his Asian heritage and his American homeland by presenting many crave-able familiar foods with an Asian twist. Teriyaki Rib Eye and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese combines crispy sourdough, and melted cheddar with slightly charred onions and thinly sliced steak in a homemade teriyaki glaze. More comfort food favorites are Red Curry Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Crispy Hot Honey Baked Chicken Wings, and Blistered Miso Butter Green Beans with Crispy Fried Onions. For breakfast or anytime, there’s Fluffy Baked Vanilla Souffle Pancakes topped with a dollop of butter and maple syrup.

Teens, TGIMWTWTA. Do you need help decoding that acronym? Here’s the translation: Thank Goodness It’s My Week to Write This Article. It’s kind of like TGIF, but catchier and obviously a thousand times more thrilling. Back to my point…TGIMWTWTA! I have so much to tell you!  

First, our 2023 “All Together Now” Teen Summer Reading Program at A.K. Smiley Public Library is right around the corner, and guess who’s invited? Little old you! Tied into our “All Together Now” theme of unity, friendship, and inclusion, we have an exciting line-up of free, in-person events for teens, including a book club (you’ll get a free copy of Sabaa Tahir’s Printz Award winner “All My Rage”), a teen test kitchen cookie-making experience, a teen-makers’ crafting/musical potluck gathering (with a free photo booth sponsored by Elevate the Night Photo Booths!), a teen-led conversation about representation in Young Adult literature, and more. And if you feel like burying yourself in books all summer, we’ve got you covered. Join our “All Together Now” summer reading challenge where you’ll have the chance to win excellent prizes based on the number of minutes you read…and we’ll be happy to pile on the books. 

The action officially begins June 22nd and continues through August 3rd. Bring a friend or come solo and make a friend…you’ll find our full calendar of events, including registration links, at www.akspl.org/teens. 

I have more good news. If you are at least sixteen years old, you could also apply to be a Summer Reading Program Teen Volunteer with us this summer, and earn community service hours while having fun and being awesome (a teen volunteer prerequisite). Find all the details and a link to an online application at www.akspl.org/teens, so just go ahead and bookmark this webpage already. 

You didn’t think I was going to leave you without offering a YA book recommendation, did you? Never! Once again, I read a book about murder. Let’s not psychoanalyze the number of books I read about murder…I really am an extremely law-abiding, nonviolent, peace-loving person. I even catch and release bugs. In real life, I abhor homicides, I promise. Ahem…okay, let’s just talk about the book.  

In Nick Brooks’ “Promise Boys,” high school students Trey, J.B., and Ramón attend The Urban Promise Prep School…a Washington D.C. private boys’ school designed to help “urban” youth transcend their challenging circumstances. The school is the brainchild of Principal Kenneth Moore, and what started out as an innovative program to support inner-city young men on their path to college, has quickly turned into a hyper-disciplined, educational dystopia, where laughing in the lunch line lands you an immediate detention.  

Trey, J.B., and Ramón aren’t really friends, but they do have something in common; they each had a major blow-up with Principal Moore on the day he was found shot to death in the school hallway. All evidence points to one of them as the killer, but which one pulled the trigger? And if it wasn’t one of them, will they be able to piece together their stories to expose who did? Your crime-solving instincts will be sent into overdrive by this cagey mystery. 

Of course, we have plenty of non-murder-y YA books to choose from too, so whatever you’re into (or not into, but inexplicably read a lot of books about), definitely put A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Summer Reading Program on your summer to-do list (I’m sure you have one). We can’t read “All Together Now” without you.