List of fun things to do with your child before they enter kindergarten.
Give a librarian a short description of your favorite book.
Crumbling mansions, creepy atmosphere, long-buried secrets, murder – gothic conventions are readily recognizable. There are many types of gothic fiction; this subgenre of suspense is as much a tone as it is a type. Gothic romances, mysteries, and horror all share the same disquieting atmosphere.
Gothic romances traditionally feature an inexperienced protagonist, often a heroine, haunted by the supernatural, the past, or a present, tangible threat. Modern heroines have found a bit more agency but will still pursue a love connection that eventually resolves to a happily ever after. Gothic mysteries and horror instill an abiding sense of unease: science gone sideways, ancestral curses tormenting descendants, lovers who are not what they seem, madness, mayhem, cruelty, and death all abound. Narrators can be unreliable and occasionally unhinged. An ever-increasing sense of inevitability threatens the protagonist: lucky ones face an ambiguous conclusion; unlucky ones end up dead…or worse. Southern Gothic shares the eerie ambiance of its cousins but is limited to the American South; authors are often born and raised there (e.g., Flannery O’Connor). There are undercurrents of class conflict, corruption, and the legacy of racism. Characterizations include the grotesque, individuals so defective physically, mentally, or both, that they’re as disturbing as that gothic original, Frankenstein’s monster.
Challenge date - June 13 to July 8 - Choose books from any part of the Imaginative World of Science Fiction.Read short stories on special themes and learn more about the library by completing a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line for BINGO! Complete this challenge and earn a chance to win a Family Membership to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center (Valid for 2 named adults and all children under 18, 10% gift shop discount and discounted Festival rate of $5/person) at the August 1 - Musical Performance - Laura Skutch.
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This mission is designed to help you reflect and find a balance in your life. When it comes to self-care activities, there are different needs that we can work to meet. The Self-Care Wheel is a tool focusing on six dimensions of our well-being. Paying attention to these 6 dimensions daily will lead to a Life in Balance!
Our librarians have created Reading Lists where you can find books, audio-books, movies, digital materials and more with information that will assist you to imagine and create a new life story...
Read (1) Book from three different dimensions on the wheel. Write your self-care activities in your own personal journal or on your calendar and make a commitment.
Mindfully focusing on wellness in our lives builds resilience and enables us to thrive amidst life’s challenges.
REMEMBER… in order to raise your voice for others, you have to take care of yourself first…
(CLICK ON ACTIVITY BELOW TO SEE BINGO CARD)
If you like to travel, the odds are probable you’ve had to cancel or postpone a trip, due to the risks and travel restrictions imposed due to coronavirus—and you’re no doubt disappointed. Sink into your armchair and experience the world from the comforts of your home. Let a book, audio-book or movie open your eyes and change the way you see the world.
“Imagine Your Journey” Travel Bingo may inspire you to choose books that are on the travel reading list provided or to choose a book from your own TBR (to be read) pile.
Complete the Mission by completing selections in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line for BINGO!
Wherever your journey takes you, enjoy the ride!
A literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
List of past winners
Challenge date Aug. 2 to Aug. 22 - From breezy beach reads to can't miss thrillers, we've found a book for every occasion under the sun. Dive right into a mix of popular classics, romantic novels, thrillers, and modern fiction while you are on vacation.
Choose books from the challenge list or choose one of your own TBR (To Be Read) books.Read or Listen to (2) books to complete the challenge and earn a chance to win (2) Adult Flex Passes (good for 10 shows) to Curtain Call, Kweskin Theatre and Dressing Room Theatre.
Why should only the winter holidays get the spotlight? We celebrate holidays throughout the entire year from St. Valentine's Day to Halloween.
Read a book set around a holiday other than Christmas.
People commit crimes all over the world, so therefore there are detectives solving crimes all over the world as well.
Read a mystery set in a country other than your own to complete this challenge.
“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”-Robert Frost
Read an anthology of poems by a singular author or theme.
LibraryReads is the monthly nationwide library staff picks list for adult fiction and non-fiction. Our goal is to help connect readers to as many books as possible, while drawing upon the incredible power that public library staff has in helping to build word-of-mouth for new books, and the important role that libraries play in creating audiences for all kinds of authors.
You can find all the LibraryReads books at https://libraryreads.org
Read a celebrity book club selection.
Oprah's Book Club
Reese's Book Club
Read with Jenna Bush Hager
Belletrist Book Club
Andrew Luck Book Club
Sarah Jessica Parker Book Picks
PBS Now Read This
Read an Afrofuturism or Afrofantasy novel
Afrofuturism and Afrofantasy are interconnected subgenres within speculative fiction, both using a Black lens to convey an author's vision for a fictional world. Afrofuturism incorporates Black identities into future society and technology, while Afrofantasy portrays worlds inspired by African cultures and mythologies.
Read a Pulitzer Prize winning book.
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during the preceding calendar year.
Read a book classified as urban fiction.
Set in urban and inner-city areas, these gritty titles often feature characters engaging in crime or illicit behaviors to survive in a harsh and violent landscape. Urban fiction is a young but popular genre, thanks to page-turning storylines, contemporary urban settings, realistic characters (usually African Americans), and straightforward prose.
Read a banned book.
Speaking out for and reading banned and challenged books is vital in the fight against censorship.
Check out the American Library Association's lists of the most challenged books in the United States:https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10