Quarantine Reading Challenge

Update 6/30/20:

Thank you to all who participated in our Quarantine Reading Challenge! It was a close competition, but the winners have been selected. Our first place winner, Annette Tyler, read 12 books and our second place winner, Diana Merritt, read 11 books. Congratulations to our winners, and well done to all who participated!

 

Have you been reading as much as we have? The staff at the Morristown and Morris Township Library realize that many people have upped their reading while under quarantine. And while being stuck at home isn’t fun, we thought we could make it a bit more fun!

From May 1st-May 31st, we challenge you to read or listen to as many books as you can, and keep a list of how many you have read or heard. At the end of the month, submit your list to us and whoever has read the most books wins! First and second place winners will receive a gift certificate to a local restaurant which is delivering or offering curbside pickup during this time! This contest is for adults only (ages 18 and up) who have a library card with a library in Morris County.

Include in your submission: a list of each book you have read (title and author), your name, address, phone number, email address, and library card number. Only one submission per person. Submissions will be accepted via email or regular mail postmarked by or on June 7th, 2020.

Please email submissions to: amanda.murphy@mmt.mainlib.org

Or mail them to:

Morristown and Morris Township Library
ATTN: Reading Challenge
1 Miller Road
Morristown, NJ
07960

You can keep up with what we’re reading on our Goodreads page. You can access public domain ebooks and audiobooks free with your library card through the RBDigital website or app, and more recent titles free through the Cloud Library app with your library card. 

Book Lovers Recommendations April 2020 Part II

Recommendations by Susan Lipstein

“Untamed” – Glennon Doyle
“Valentine” – Elizabeth Wetmore
“Book of Lost Friends” – Lisa Wingate
“Conspiracy of Bones” – Kathy Reichs
“Deep” – Alma Katsu

 

Book of Lost Friends
By Lisa Wingate

Lisa Wingate based this historical fiction on actual advertisements she saw in Southern newspapers after the Civil War.  Three women from Louisiana head out for Texas.   Two are searching for a lost inheritance and one, a freed slave, is searching for her family.  Their story from the past combines with the story of a teacher who in 1987 begins to learn what happened to these three women. 

 

Conspiracy of Bones
By Kathy Reichs

Temperance Brennan’s newest adventure.  Temperance is receiving text messages containing pictures of a corpse.  When an unidentified corpse does turn up, she starts to search for answers but her new boss forces her to do it outside of the system.  After five years, the character of Temperance Brennan is back with a vengeance. 

 

Deep
By Alma Katsu 

A supernatural spin is put on the story of the ships Titanic and Britannic.  Irish maid Annie serves on the Titanic and survives its sinking in 1912.  Four years later, she then signs up to be a nurse on the sister ship, Britannic, now outfitted as a wartime hospital ship.  Annie encounters a handsome soldier whom she recognizes as a previous passenger on the Titanic.  Passion, mystery, supernatural and history all combine. 

 

Hidden Valley Road
By Robert Kolker 

Non-fiction which reads like fiction.  Kolker sympathetically tells the story of the Galvin family, a middle class, “all American” family of 12 children growing up in the 1950’s.  One by one six out of ten of the boys are eventually diagnosed as schizophrenic-the most mentally ill family in America.  The book is the story of their family, along with the history of psychiatric treatment, and the change in treatment of schizophrenia.  It is fascinating reading, but  always told in a sensitive, understated way.

 

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: a true (as told to me) story
By Bess Kalb

Bess Kalb is a TV writer and this is her first book.  Kalb uses the voice of her scrappy and of course, know-it-all grandmother, Bobby, to tell the story of four generations of women.   Grandma’s story transcends death, and it’s funny, loving and just what we need right now.

 

Other Mrs.
By Mary Kubica 

A couple move with their two sons from Chicago to a small island off the coast of Maine to take care of the husband’s niece, Imogen, whose mother has committed suicide.  There are more family secrets-and then, when a neighbor is murdered, the townspeople become suspicious of the new couple.  The story is told from the point of view of 3 characters.   It has already been picked up by Netflix.

 

Redhead by the Side of the Road
By Anne Tyler 

Micah Mortimer is a man in his 40’s who lives a quiet, cautious life in Baltimore.  He is a self-employed tech expert with a business called “Tech Hermit.”  He likes his life-and then all hell breaks loose.  His woman friend is being evicted and needs a place to stay, a young man appears on his doorstep who believes Micah is his father-and Micah now has to reach out to others and change his life ways he never thought possible.

 

Two Lives of Lydia Bird
By Josie Silver

Lydia Bird has been with Freddie forever-until he dies in a car accident on her 28th birthday.  In her daily life, she begins to take tentative steps to move into the future, but she is also taking a sleeping pill which transports her at night back into a world where Freddie is alive, well and where they can marry.  Lydia is forced to make a decision about whether to live in her dreams or reality, and how she does this in the heart of this poignant book. 

 

Untamed
By Glennon Doyle

This is the true story of Glennon Doyle, a wife, mother and author who fell in love with a woman four years ago, while still married to her husband.  She wrote this book to help inspire women to follow  a path to become their true selves.  This is both a memoir and a wake-up call. She currently lives with her wife in Florida and co-parents her three children with her wife and ex-husband.

 

Valentine
By Elizabeth Wetmore

This is a debut novel.   In 1976, the town of Odessa, Texas is on  the cusp of an oil boom-but all is not well in Odessa.  The plot is set in motion by the brutal rape and attack of a 14 year old Hispanic girl, and the novel tells the story through the eyes of alternative female voices. The story is also driven by its characters as well as  the time and place of the novel. 

Give these Digital Escape Rooms a try!

Think outside the box to solve a series of puzzles and complete the story!

Ketterdam Heist: A Six of Crows Digital Escape Room

Created by Abigail Hsu, Young Adult Librarian at Morristown & Morris Township Library

You have been given the task of stealing three items from a wealthy merchant in the city of Ketterdam. Do you have what it takes to pull off this heist?

 

Ketterdam Heist II: A Six of Crows Digital Escape Room

Created by Abigail Hsu, Young Adult Librarian at Morristown & Morris Township Library

You are competing to be your gang’s next thief of secrets and must steal a pair of priceless revolvers to pass the test.

 

Into the Spirit World: A Studio Ghibli-inspired Digital Escape Room

Created by Abigail Hsu, Young Adult Librarian at Morristown & Morris Township Library

You are a human who has accidentally stumbled into the Spirit World. Night has fallen and you are unable to return to the Human World…

 

K-Pop Trivia Escape Room

Created by Abigail Hsu, Young Adult Librarian at Morristown & Morris Township Library

It’s your first time at a K-Pop convention and you have the chance to win a ticket to the convention concert! All you need to do is complete an immersive trivia game…

 

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room

Created by Sydney Krawiec, Youth Services Librarian at Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, PA

It is your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you could not be more excited. As you head into the cozy common room, the house prefect announces that you have a fun team building activity to complete before you get too settled into your new digs…

 

Mandalorian Digital Escape Room 

Created by the Manchester Community College Library in Manchester, NH

An old bounty hunter friend needs your help to rescue someone…

 

The Minotaur’s Labyrinth Digital Escape Room

Created by by Karen Liu (Salt Lake County), a Teen Librarian at The County Library’s Riverton Branch

The Minotaur lies in the heart of a labyrinth and you must make your way to it. You are the demigod Theseus, son of Poseidon and heir to Aegeus. You offered yourself as a tribute, in hopes of killing the monster within…

 

The 74th Hunger Games Escape Room

Created by Amy German, a Youth Services Librarian at Round Rock Public Library

Your name is Katniss Everdeen and you have volunteered as tribute for the 74th Hunger Games…

 

Cabin Fever Virtual Escape Room

Created by Celeste Trottier, Teen Services Librarian at the St. Albert Public Library

You are a Level 4 Junior Forest Scout. While gathering wood for a fire, you discover an empty cabin in the woods…

 

The Library of Alexandria Escape Room

Created by Portia Carryer for San Leandro Public Library’s Staycation 2020

As you’re clicking through the library website to borrow an e-book, your phone screen flickers, goes black, and then flashes bright white light. When your eyes adjust, you’re no longer in your house…

 

Star Wars Digital Escape Room

Created by Jenny Hansen of the Dover Area Community Library

You, Finn, Rey, and BB-8 are on a special mission from General Leia Organa when a First Order Star Destroyer captures your ship. You resist but the next thing you see is a bright light from a blaster and then darkness. You wake up hours later in a small dark cell…

 

Journey Through Oakwald Forest: A Throne of Glass Digital Escape Room

Created by Youth Services Staff at Rita and Truett Smith Public Library

General Aedion has given you the the task of a simple delivery mission through Oakwald Forest to Allsbrook castle…

 

 

[More activities to come soon!]

Resources for Small Businesses Owners During the COVID-19 Outbreak

List compiled by Luis Rodriguez, Director of the Butler Public Library
 
From the Morris County Government site
 
For information regarding financial assistance, please visit the State of New Jersey’s website for businesses and COVID-19 or call 1-800-JERSEY-7. To apply directly to the Small Business Administration for a loan, visit the SBA online loan application.
New! NJDEA Small Business Emergency Assistance Grants are now available! Apply now through April 10
 
Read The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020. 
 
Read The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020. 
 
Did you lose your job or have your hours reduced as a result of COVID-19? Businesses across New Jersey need thousands of workers for immediate hire. Learn more about who is hiring in your community: visit the State of NJ COVID-19 Jobs and Hiring Portal
 
From the NJ Economic Development Authority
 
COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus Information for New Jersey Businesses
 
From the New Jersey Business and Industry Association
 
NJBIA Coronavirus Resource Connection
 
From the Small Business Administration
 
Coronavirus (COVID-19): SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus
 
From the New Jersey Business Advocacy Center
 
COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus Information for New Jersey Businesses
 
From the NJ Small Business Development Center
 
COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION
 

Happy International Children’s Book Day!

International Children’s Book Day was founded in 1967 on Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, April 2. The holiday celebrates a love of reading and promotes youth literacy around the world.

The Global Literature in Libraries Initiative (GLLI) has announced the winners for the organization’s Translated YA Book Prize to coincide with the observance of International Children’s Book Day. This year’s award winners are Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi, translated from Japanese by Cathy Hirano, and Maresi Red Mantle by Maria Turtschaninoff, translated from Swedish by A. A. Prime.

Below is an excerpt from the press release:

The Beast Player takes elements that frequently appear in conventional YA novels–an orphan, a school, magical beasts, and warring factions—but creates something totally fresh and unexpected, amidst a spectacularly developed world all its own,” said Committee Chair Annette Y. Goldsmith. 

“Maresi Red Mantle is a stirring epistolary novel that presents a young woman caught between two homes, cultures, and communities,” Goldsmith commented. “It is the concluding title in the Red Abbey Chronicles trilogy, but we were very impressed with how beautifully it works as a stand-alone title.” Its U.S. edition, published by Abrams Books, is titled Red Mantle

The announcement of the prize is timed to coincide with International Children’s Book Day, which falls on April 2, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen. Fewer young adult (YA) books are translated into English than any other category of children’s literature, and the prize aims to bring attention to gems of world literature for teens. 

“The worldwide spread of the Covid-19 pandemic shows just how interconnected we have become,” said GLLI Director Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds, “There couldn’t be a better time for teens to develop a global perspective on issues of concern to them, and reading is a great way to do that, especially when everyone is spending so much time indoors right now.” 

The 2020 Shortlist 

  • Almost Autumn* by Marianne Kaurin, translated from the Norwegian by Rosie Hedger 
  • The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi, by translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano 
  • The Book of Pearl by Timothée de Fombelle, translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone and Sam Gordon
  • The Casket of Time by Andri Snær Magnason, translated from the Icelandic by Björg Arnadóttir and Andrew Cauthery 
  • Go by Kazuki Kaneshiro, translated from the Japanese by Takami Nieda 
  • Luisa: Now and Then* by Carole Maurel, translated from the French by Nanette McGuinness
  • Maresi Red Mantle, Book 3 of the Red Abbey Chronicles by Maria Turtschaninoff, translated from the Swedish by A. A. Prime 
  • The Mirror Visitor Quartet: A Winter’s Promise (Book 1) and The Missing of Clairdelune (Book 2) by Christelle Dabos, translated from the French by Hildegarde Serle 
  • Tamba: Child Soldier by Marion Achard, translated from the French by Montana Kane 
  • Tortot, the Cold Fish who Lost His World and Found His Heart by Benny Lindelauf, translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson
  • Trees for the Absentees by Ahlam Bsharat, translated from the Arabic by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and Sue Copeland 
  • Winter in Wartime by Jan Terlouw, translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson 

* = Honor Book

Book Lovers Recommendations April 2020

Recommendations by Susan Lipstein

 

These Ghosts are Family- Maisy Card
You Are Not Alone – Greer Hendricks
Dear Edward – Ann Napolitano
Talking to Strangers - What We Should Talk About the People We Don’t Know – Malcolm Gladwell
Girl- Edna O’Brien

 

(These books are all available as ebooks)

 

Dear Edward
By Ann Napolitano

Twelve year old Edward is the only survivor of a plane crash that kills every other person on board the aircraft, including Edward’s family.  He now has to learn how to survive the rest of his life.  This is a coming of age story, dealing with the emotional fall out from a tragedy as Edward struggles to find its purpose – and his own.

 

Girl
By Edna O’Brien

Maryam is kidnapped by the brutal terrorist group Boko Haram.  How this young woman survives her kidnapping and then fights for herself and her daughter’s acceptance  back into their community makes tough but rewarding reading.

 

Milk and Honey
By Rupi Kaur

This is a collection of poetry and prose about survival-pretty apropos for our lives today.  It is made up of four chapters- each dealing with a different kind of pain-but all showing how there is sweetness even in the most  bitter moments.

 

Mirror and the Light
By Hilary Mantel

This is the long awaited third book in the trilogy that covers the life of Thomas Cromwell.  The third book begins with the execution of Anne Boleyn and covers the final years of Cromwell’s career and life.  Cromwell was a blacksmith’s son who rose to power with his wits and cunning to be by the side of Henry the Eighth.  But Henry is loyal to no one but himself, so how long can Cromwell survive?

 

My Dark Vanessa
By Kate Elizabeth Russell

In 2000, fifteen year old Vanessa has a relationship with her 42 year old English teacher.  She moves on in her life, but was always convinced that he truly loved her.  Years later, when a fellow student calls this same teacher out for sexual abuse, Vanessa’s life is thrown into turmoil as she has to come to terms with what actually happened to her.  She struggles to redefine her image of herself-and her lover without destroying herself. 

 

Red Lotus
By Chris Bohjalian

The newest from the best selling author.  Alexis and Austin travel to Vietnam where Austin disappears.  Alexis soon discovers that he has left a trail of lies behind him, and determined to find out the truth, she starts to put herself in danger.  A real thriller.

 

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know
By Malcolm Gladwell

How do we use tools and strategies to make sense of people we don’t know?  Gladwell uses actual cases in the news to show ways we often misjudge other people which results in conflict and misunderstanding.  In today’s world, finding out who is speaking the truth has never been more important, and using some of his techniques, he hopes people will learn to mitigate miscommunication.

 

These Ghosts are Family
By Maisy Card

This is a debut novel.  Abel and Vera Paisley are a married couple living in Jamaica in the 1960’s.    Their lives change instantly when Abel travels to London, and decides that he can make a better life for himself if he fakes his own death and changes his identity.  Of course, this results in major repercussions for the rest of his family, who believe he is dead.  This is a personal drama made more exciting by its historical background.

 

You Are Not Alone
By Greer Hendricks

Shay, a lonely misfit, is befriended by sisters, and she feels her friendship with them brings with it a promise of a better life for her.  However, the sisters have actually befriended her for their own sinister purposes.  Will keep you on the age of your seat. 

 

National Poetry Month

Enrich your lives with poetry during April, which is National Poetry Month, and during this time of collective hibernation. You can enjoy the magic of poetry from a variety of online resources!

You can sign up to receive A Poem a Day to be delivered to your email from Knopf Poetry here.

Poets.org also has the option for a poem-a-day sent to your email account if you sign up, or, you can read the daily poem on their website found here. Poets.org is sponsored by The Academy of American poets and has lots of poetry to browse and listen to in addition to the Poem a Day program.

The Poetry Foundation is “an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.” As such, they have a large collection of searchable poetry, as well as browseable by theme or era.

The Library of Congress celebrated National Poetry Month in 2015 by launching their Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, and have continued to grow their collection since.

Open Culture has a large collection of free, downloadable eBooks which includes poetry classics.

Poet’s House is a poetry library in lower Manhattan, and “is a comfortable, accessible place for poetry—a library and meeting place which invites poets and the public to step into the living tradition of poetry.” They are now offering many of their programs online.

We hope you’ll celebrate with us by enjoying some poetry this month.