All across the country, kids are starting school -- either for the new school year or for the first time. Some schools are already in session, while others start in the next few weeks. Of course, this got me thinking about books related to the start of school. As usual, my thoughts first jump to … Continue reading It’s time for school!
Young Adult
Guest Blog: Local author, Tyler Cook, reflects on Macon County Public Library’s Read Local Book Fair
As I reflect on the fifth annual Read Local Book Fair in Franklin, I can’t help but feel excitement, as if I’m attending it for the first time. Each year brings a new experience, and a new group of customers gets to experience a new book, whether they buy mine or someone else’s. For us … Continue reading Guest Blog: Local author, Tyler Cook, reflects on Macon County Public Library’s Read Local Book Fair
Hike with Pride this month!
June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month as well as Great Outdoors Month and so this blog will be about both! LGBTQIA+ is an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and the plus is for gender fluid people - people whose gender identity changes over time or per situation. Queer is a … Continue reading Hike with Pride this month!
Number 18 in ‘18
This blog is my eighteenth. It’s also my last one for Shelf Life in the Mountains. (Long story short: moving out of state) I did my first one almost exactly 2 years ago, so I’ve done about nine a year since then. Rather than tout some favorite books or videos or music, as I’m wont … Continue reading Number 18 in ‘18
The Rise of the Verse Novel: Celebrating National Poetry Month
I loved poetry as a child. I read a lot of it, memorized some favorite poems, and tried to write my own (very badly, I must say). As I grew up, I wandered away from poetry for the most part, with a few notable exceptions -- John Donne and W. B. Yeats in particular. In … Continue reading The Rise of the Verse Novel: Celebrating National Poetry Month
Libraries Lead
This past week, April 8th to 14th, was National Library Week! Hooray! We hope everyone celebrated appropriately with books and movies borrowed from your library. If not, don’t worry, Governor Cooper has declared this month as Library Appreciation Month! National Library Week was first officially sponsored in 1958, making this the 60th anniversary! This week … Continue reading Libraries Lead
Success in the New Year
Gratuitous cat picture. This blog post has nothing to do with cats There are many worlds held in the stacks of our libraries--some funny, some sad, some colorful and rich. Stories that are taken from real life and those that are wonderful imaginations of the Authors. Any interest one has can be found and explored, … Continue reading Success in the New Year
Books for Boys
Somewhere between 7 and 9 years old, I became a Reader. And by Reader I mean someone who loves to read. I’d been “reading” (deciphering the alphabet to produce words whose meaning I understood) since I was about 3, and by first grade I was the best reader in my class (just a small elementary … Continue reading Books for Boys
Celebrating Audiobook Month
June is Audiobook Month! When I was a kid (back in the dark ages when recordings were 12-inch LP records), my brothers and I loved sick days. Not because we wanted to miss school, but because being home in bed was a chance to listen to our recordings of Alice in Wonderland or … Continue reading Celebrating Audiobook Month
Reading Series – a professional’s guide
Probably the first series I ever encountered was one my three older sisters had “bequeathed” to the family collection – it was the Trixie Belden mystery series. As I read the single book in the series that we had on our bookshelves, I quickly became aware of (and somewhat annoyed at) the fact that the … Continue reading Reading Series – a professional’s guide
Shelf Life in the Mountains 