By Sam Jack, sjack@newtonplks.org Each year, libraries, schools, and individual poetry-lovers celebrate April as National Poetry Month. That’s why Newton Public Library’s staff chose “Read a Book of Poetry” as the April challenge for NPL’s 2020 Reading Challenge. When we planned out the 2020 Reading Challenge, none of us knew that April would dawn as…
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Allyson Krehbiel contributed this patron book review. Thank you Allyson! When I saw March’s reading challenge to re-read a book that you read in school, I immediately knew what book I had to read again. In 6th grade, I was assigned to read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. Initially, I remembered being hopeful.…
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By Dan Eells, deells@newtonplks.org Now through April 30, Hoopla is offering more than 1,000 “Bonus Borrows”—books, movies and music you can check out without using one of your four monthly borrows. In case you’re not familiar with Hoopla: Unlike the ebooks and e-audiobooks in the Sunflower eLibrary, titles on Hoopla are available on-demand, so you…
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Cathy Anderson contributed this patron book review. Thank you Cathy! I’m enjoying the mystery-adventure-historical fiction novels by Colin Cotterill. They are set in 1970s Laos, soon after Laotian communists come to power. The protagonist is Dr. Siri Paiboun, an aged French-trained surgeon unwillingly assigned to be the national (and only) coroner of Laos. He discovers…
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If the coronavirus means you’re stuck at home, you might be looking for something to watch, or something to do. During the soft closure, library staff have put together this selection of freebies, including Newton Public Library offerings and others. Have you found a free resource you’d like to share with others? Email Sam, sjack@newtonplks.org,…
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The Newton Public Library is under soft closure, until further notice. The soft closure began on March 16. A soft closure means all programs and meetings scheduled at the library have been canceled or suspended, and the library building is closed to the public. Library materials will be available for pickup, only by reservation and…
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By Sam Jack, sjack@newtonplks.org The drumbeat of news about the novel coronavirus abruptly jumped to a new level of intensity and urgency on the evening of Wednesday, March 11. That evening, over the course of what felt like just a few minutes, President Donald Trump addressed the nation about the crisis; the NBA suspended its…
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Also known as “speculative fiction,” the fantasy/sci-fi genre is broad enough to have something that will appeal to just about any reader. Here are some of Sam’s favorite reads from the past few years.
Join Karin Kaufman Wall, Peace and Justice Education Coordinator at Mennonite Central Committee, Central States, for a discussion of White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo, this evening (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m. Can’t make it this evening? The Newton Community for Racial Justice (NCRJ) and Newton Public Library will host additional book discussions in March and…
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Photographer Jeffrey McPheeters will present “Composite Photography” at Newton Public Library, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25. McPheeters defines composite photographs as images created using two or more openings of the camera shutter. Composites can be created within the camera, or using computer software. “Composite photography can help influence our non-composite photography by allowing…
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