A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

What's New

Travel Using Your Mind and a Good Story

By

Since traveling is limited nowadays, I have found other ways to get away–with my imagination and the power of the written word. Here at A. K. Smiley Public Library we have a library full of new books that are ready to transport you to far off destinations, be it to another country or to an entirely different decade. Luckily for you, a passport is not required.

“We Ride Upon Sticks,” by Quan Barry is one of my favorite books this year. The novel transports readers to 1989 to Danvers, Massachusetts (neighboring town to the infamous Salem, Massachusetts) and follows the mainly all girls and one boy varsity field hockey team. Let’s just say the team isn’t known for winning. Sick of being on the losing side, the team takes matters into their own hands and decides that they need some supernatural assistance. This book has it all: 80s references, overly processed bangs referred to as ‘the claw,’ and most importantly, the power of friendship. Get swept up in this fun and empowering book and find out if the Danvers Falcons make it all the way to the State Championship, with or without a little help from the dark side.

“Shuggie Bain,” by Douglas Stuart, is a hauntingly beautiful novel that has been long listed for the prestigious Booker Prize award in England. The novel takes place during the Thatcher administration in Glasgow, Scotland and focuses on a young boy named Hugh ‘Shuggie’ Bain and his unwavering devotion to his mother Agnes, who would rather spend her weekly government allowance on beer than on food. Shuggie struggles to survive in an environment where the odds of survival are stacked against him. To say this novel is a feel good read would be a lie. This book is gritty, harrowing, and, at times, you almost feel like your heart has been ripped out of your chest, but Stuart’s words and imagery are too beautiful to not want to continue to read about young Shuggie Bain.

“Mexican Gothic,” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a sweeping Gothic suspense novel. The novel transports the reader to 1950s Mexico where Noemi Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newly married cousin Catalina. Concerned for her cousin’s well being, Noemi rushes to her aid to ‘High Place,’ a remote mansion located in the Mexican countryside. Upon her arrival, Noemi is greeted by her cousin’s bizarre new family that may be up to something sinister. This is a tense novel that will keep you up reading into the night.

Reserve these titles now with our Books-to-Go service. For more information on this service call the Library at 909-798-7565 or visit our website, www.akspl.org. Travel safely, courtesy of A. K. Smiley Public Library.

Tons of Tuneful Titles

By

Rock. Pop. Classical. Jazz. Rap. Country. Over forty brand new music biographies, histories, studies and appreciations have been added to our collection and are ready for check out. Take a look at the following selections and enjoy the wide-ranging assortment of tuneful titles to take home.

One of the strongest voices in the 1950s and 1960s folk revival scene during the Civil Rights Movement was Odetta Holmes, or just Odetta as she was known. Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1930, this influential singer songwriter brought to light the folk songs, plantation work songs, and chain gang songs that depicted racial inequality and struggle through her music and political activism. She was a major inspiration to many well-known artists including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Harry Belafonte. “Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest” by Ian Zack examines her musical beginnings, introduction into the world of folk music while on tour in San Francisco, and rise from coffeehouse to Carnegie Hall. Her political involvement included marches alongside Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. While the white folk musicians around her received the recognition which eluded her, she stood with integrity and conveyed a vital message to educate and advocate for social change through her powerful vocals and guitar. When you get a chance, listen to her music. You’ll be glad you did.

With fifteen Grammy wins to her credit, there is no doubt that Alicia Keys is an extremely talented musician with an amazing voice and pianistic prowess. In her honest biography “More Myself: A Journey” she invites you into her life: her childhood, family, and musical career. Born in 1981, in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Manhattan, she was determined to rise above the tough way of life, drugs, and prostitution she saw around her. Keys’ mother, whose guidance was steadfast, introduced her to music at an early age through jazz records by Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Ella Fitzgerald. Classical and jazz piano lessons starting in first grade and Professional Performing Arts School at twelve followed, allowing her creativity to flourish and instilling in her a lifelong love of music. She takes you through the evolution of her music, discusses celebrity friendships and life with husband Swizz Beatz. Social activism is an important part of her life and she fights injustice through song, as well as action, as exemplified in her charity work and nonprofit organizations. Join her on her journey as she learns the great importance of being true to herself.

With the variety of new music books we have on hand, I’m sure there will be something that will pique your interest. Here are just a few more popular titles we have available for your consideration:

Familiar Faces:

“Acid for the Children: A Memoir” by Flea; “Beethoven: the Relentless Revolutionary” by John Clubbe; “Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: the Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock’s Greatest Supergroup” by David Browne; “Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time” by Philip Clark; “Face It” by Debbie Harry; “Janis: Her Life and Music” by Holly George-Warren; “Jay-Z: Made in America” by Michael Eric Dyson; “Me” by Elton John; “Me & Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline” by Loretta Lynn; “Summertime: George Gershwin’s Life in Music” by Richard Crawford; “Texas Flood: the Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan” by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort.

Illustrated Offerings:

“Bruce Springsteen: the Stories Behind the Songs” by Brian Hiatt; “Carpenters: An Illustrated Discography” by Randy Schmidt; “Country Music” by Dayton Duncan, based on a documentary film by Ken Burns; “Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyonce. Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl” edited by Evelyn McDonnell; “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music” by Michael Lang.

Musical Musings:

“Decoding Dylan: Making Sense of the Songs that Changed Modern Culture” by James M. Curtis; “For the Love of Music: A Conductor’s Guide to the Art of Listening” by John Mauceri; “Music: A Subversive History” by Ted Gioia; “Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music that Made a Nation” by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw; “William S. Burroughs & the Cult of Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Casey Rae.

These titles may be checked out through our Books-to-Go program. Give us a call at 909 798-7565 or visit our website at www.akspl.org for more information.

Adult Literacy Graduates Achieve Personal and Business Success

By

Many adults who join the Redlands Adult Literacy Program want to improve their reading and writing skills so they can get better jobs, further their own education, and advocate for their children. Through hard work and perseverance adult learners can change their own and their families’ lives for the better. The following is a story of adult learners who graduated from the Redlands Adult Literacy Program and, with their new literacy skills, started a business, earned a GED, and encouraged their children to excel in their education.

Sanchez family at Monica’s graduation ceremony: left to right, Axel, Monica, Amanda, Armando, Allen, and Monica’s mom, Maria Refugio Melendrez

Monica Sanchez joined the adult literacy program in February of 2014 because she needed to become an advocate for her special needs son. Working with her tutor, Rebecca McCurdy, she gained literacy skills that enabled her to communicate effectively with teachers and medical professionals, understand medical directives, and support her son. Monica’s goals changed over time to include dreams of attaining her GED, supporting her children with their education, and getting a better job. Monica diligently worked for four years in the literacy program to improve her reading, grammar, vocabulary, and writing. She celebrated when she earned her GED in 2017 because this opened doors to better employment.

In 2018, she was hired by the Redlands Unified School District to work as a campus monitor at an elementary school. Monica shared, “I liked being a campus monitor; it was a fun and comfortable job for me. I was playing with kids and getting paid for that.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools, Monica, like so many others, found herself unemployed. She eventually began working as a DoorDash driver and used this as an opportunity to teach her younger children about what it was like to have a job and manage their own money; they helped her leave meals on porches and Monica gave them an allowance of $1.00 per delivery.

Sumbale Trucks employees: left to right, Miguel Rodarte, Mauricio Medina, Kaleb Alvares, Armando Sanchez, Angel Rosas

Monica’s husband, Armando Sanchez, also joined the literacy program in 2014. His goals were to improve his reading and writing in order to advance at his job at Ashley Furniture and to have a better life. When his employer closed their doors, he went on to earn construction certificates that would enable him to get a new job at La-Z-Boy Furniture. After working long hours as a maintenance supervisor at La-Z-Boy, he decided to take a chance in life and start a business so he could spend more time with his family. Armando started a trucking business that transports pallets from Amazon warehouses to post offices in the southland. He named his company Sumbale Trucks after a word his son Allen invented when he was little. Armando’s growing business now employs four truck drivers.

Because the school closure left Monica newly unemployed, she was available to support her husband in his business. As a proficient reader and writer, she helps her husband with office work, including calculating weekly payroll for each of their employees. When asked what it was like to work with his wife, Armando replied, “Working together is good – it’s two minds, four eyes and we are a team.”

Armando and Monica are role models for their three children, encouraging them to set their own goals and to do well in school. Improving her own literacy enabled Monica to help her children with their school work.

Sanchez family: left to right, Monica, Axel, Amanda, Allen, and Armando

Their oldest, Axel, was awarded scholarships for college and has graduated with a nursing degree. He works as a nurse and has a goal of becoming an ultrasound technician. Allen, their middle son has dreams of going to college and living in a dorm like his big brother. Their daughter, Amanda, sees how hard her mother works and is very proud of her.

In nearly 25 years of marriage, Monica and Armando have achieved more than they could ever have dreamed. They can communicate clearly with others. They have advanced their own education, purchased a home in this area, become U.S. Citizens, started their own business, and are strong advocates for their children. After the pandemic, Monica will begin work on her new dream, to attain her real estate certification.

Monica shared that improving her reading and writing has changed her life. “When you have a new vision, it changes everything you can see. You can learn, you can read all kinds of things, and that opens new doors.” When asked what he would tell others who want to improve their literacy, Armando said, “You can do it, I think the top is the sky. You can do anything. Improving literacy has helped me a lot.”

Since March, many families have discovered that more schooling is conducted in the home. Through the generosity of donors and grants, the adult literacy program has a wide selection of books and workbooks to assist in vocabulary building, grammar, and writing that you can search for at the library’s website www.akspl.org. Books can be checked out through Books to Go, as described at the library’s website. All materials at the library are available to all cardholders.

The pandemic has not slowed down adult literacy activities. If you are interested in becoming a tutor or if you would like help in reading and writing, please call Diane Shimota, adult literacy coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4138 or email her at literacy@akspl.org. The literacy program is free to all participants.

Get into a Book Series from the Young Readers’ Room!

By

Have you ever started a series of books and read through them so quickly that you were willing the author to hurry up and write the next one already?!

I have certainly done that more than I can count!! Once you start a series, you just want to keep reading until the very, very, very ending of the story!

Well, this week the Young Readers’ Room would like to recommend books in a series, specifically, the latest book of the series. If you have not started any of these yet, you may want to back track to the very first story and work your way up to the current and final volume.

Please start with the “Thunder Girls” series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. You may recognize Joan Holub’s name from another popular series she wrote entitled “Goddess Girls.” The newest volume of this four-volume series (so far) is titled “Skade and the Enchanted Snow.” This final title will take you to the winter months, as Skade is the Goddess of skiing, which we know takes place in the chilled winter months, time for a summer reprieve! Part mystery, part adventure, part Norse mythology and magic, Skade and her team of dedicated friends will have you turning each page to find out what will happen next!

Next up for your continuous reading pleasure is by Margaret Peterson Haddix, one of my favorite authors, in book two of “Greystone Secrets:  The Deceivers.” Chess, Emma, and Finn are siblings who must go back to the other world for more mysterious happenings. The other world is a mirror of the ‘normal’ world, except that lies seem to be the truth. Can you imagine if you had to tell lies in order to survive…no truth telling at all? Find out what these three siblings, plus their friend Natalie, will do in order to make reality become truth.

Many of you have read the Treehouse books by Andy Griffiths, which started out with “The 13-Story Treehouse.” Well, the ninth book of the series has arrived! “The 117-Story Treehouse” is now ready for check-out! What other floors could Andy and Terry possibly add to the previous volume: “The 104-Story Treehouse?” These two, author and illustrator, have been creating amazing Treehouse books for seven years. Great fun and a great read indeed–you’ll want to start at the beginning of this series for sure with “The 13-Story Treehouse.”

Have you started the “Keeper of the Lost Cities” series yet? Well, you should read the first seven volumes before you start this brand new, eighth in the series “Legacy.” Book 8 does not disappoint. Sophie first began to wow us in the first of the series with “Keeper of the Lost Cities.” Sophie continues her quest for truth. There are so many lies, who can really make heads or tails of truth when they actually hear it? Sophie and her friendships are tested in this final volume. Can you bear to read it? If you have read the other seven, this is necessary for you!

The sixth and final book of the “Fairy Tale Reform School” series is here! “Cursed” by Jen Calonita will not disappoint. For those of you who have been faithful and read the other five, this final installment will leave you with a satisfied sigh! Rumpelstiltskin is the star of this story, or is it Gilly? Racing against time on a mission to save Enchantasia from the evil Stiltskin, Gilly and her friends have their hands full. The pirate ship and Gilly’s crew think they can handle the task at hand, but will they make it in time?

All of these titles are available through our Books-to-Go program here at the Library. You can reserve any book, magazine, book-on-CD or music CD by logging onto our website (www.akspl.org) and scrolling down to the Books-to-Go link under “Services” and reserving each book with your library card number. You can also give us a call in the Young Readers’ Room at (909) 798-7674; or email the Library at circ@akspl.org.

We have three options to help you keep your reading up during this pandemic while the Library is closed. We sure miss you all and hope to see you soon!

Great news for all of our Redlands Unified School District students and teachers: the Library is offering a free eLibrary Card to all RUSD students and teachers for the upcoming school year, 2020-2021! Please go to our website and fill out the Temporary eLibrary card application, and a staff member will contact you with your specific eLibrary card number.

Sweet, Scrumptious Summertime Staples

By

“I just love to look at cookbooks, it’s almost like they’re comic books for me. I can’t look at them before bed; it gets me too excited.”  Katie Lee
“Everything Chocolate” by America’s Test Kitchen is a chocolate lover’s dream. Recipes for cakes, cookies, puddings, frozen treats, candy and sauces are waiting inside. Chocolate for breakfast? Yes, with 20 selections, you may choose to start your morning with a slice of Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Chocolate Granola or pair your morning coffee with a flaky Chocolate Croissant. Sprinkled throughout this book are recipes with nuts. White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut Cake is a taste of the tropics with a mango filling sandwiched between layers of white chocolate cake and chopped macadamia nuts embellish the outer white chocolate buttercream frosting. Frozen Snickers Ice Cream Cake is an easy no-bake peanut butter and chocolate extravaganza that only requires four simple ingredients. The hard part is waiting six hours for it to set up. More desserts of note are Chocolate Pavlova with Berries and Whipped Cream. It begins with a light and airy chocolate meringue base. Next is a layer of whipped cream which acts as a pillow for a mound of ripe berries, drizzled with melted chocolate. Followed by, Double Chocolate Dessert Waffles, Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake and Chocolate Avocado Pudding for a lower sugar, nondairy treat.
In her latest book, “Magnolia Table, Volume 2,” Joanna Gaines and her team have developed a new batch of recipes to feed and nourish the people you love. As a welcome surprise, you can now recreate Blueberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Glaze, Pecan Pancakes with Maple Butter, Prize Pig and more which are served at Magnolia Press, Silos Baking Co. and Magnolia Table in Waco, TX. Quick and simple warm weather options abound like Street Tacos made with chicken, steak and pulled pork. A side of Cilantro Lime Rice and salsa would complement this meal. Grilled Bruschetta Chicken retains all the flavor without the bread and features ripe plum tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and the tang of crumbled feta cheese. Two easy and delicious sheet pan dinners may tempt you to turn on your oven. Honey Garlic Chicken with pineapple and Cajun Shrimp with corn and roasted potatoes are baked in under an hour. It wouldn’t be a Magnolia cookbook unless dessert was included and Joanna has given us a gracious plenty to end a scrumptious meal. Peach Cobbler can be created using fresh or frozen fruit which receives a sprinkling of cinnamon before baking and afterwards served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Strawberry Pie has a pale pink cool and creamy filling poured into a graham cracker crust then popped into the freezer to chill. Another no-bake treat is Jo’s Peanut Butter Balls that are dipped into melted chocolate bark. Also in the lineup are Tres Leches Cake, Baklava, Crème Brulee and a fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake.
Thanksgiving’s star may be the roasted turkey. However, it’s the mashed potatoes, dressing and green bean casserole that we anticipate eating at our annual feast. In honor of the humble side dish, America’s Test Kitchen has gathered and tested over 1,000 recipes for our year-round enjoyment in, “The Side Dish Bible.” Right now with hot weather upon us, grilling outdoors and fresh salads help to keep us cool. Summertime is when sweet corn is at its peak and the recipe for Husk Grilled Corn gives it an irresistible smoky flavor. As an alternative to boiling potatoes on the stove, try one of the grilled potato salads such as German-Style Grilled Potato Salad. Fresh fruits and vegetables are in abundance and these salads will have you and your family eating them more often. Caesar Green Bean Salad is a twist on a classic with all the flavor and no lettuce. Other veggie-friendly choices are Sugar Snap Pea Salad and Zucchini Noodle Salad. Salads that feature fruit include Spinach and Strawberry, Peach Caprese and Watermelon-Tomato. When cooler weather returns and with it, our desire for baked comfort foods, this book is ready with tempting dishes like Twice-Baked Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar and Scallions, Creamy Corn and Tomato Pasta Bake, plus Ultimate Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits.
These titles and many more are available through our Books-to-Go program. For more information, please visit our website at www.akspl.org or call us at 909-798-7565.