💗 For Your Pets

If you are a pet mom or dad, then you probably don't need an excuse to love up on your furry/scaly/feathery babies, but February 20th just so happens to be National Love Your Pet Day. So why not spoil them a little extra, right? They don't need anything too fancy. You could just snuggle up on the couch with one of the books or movies below that feature pets of all kinds! You can place a hold on any of these by clicking the links below.  

Books:

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Marley & Me by John Grogan

A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

Carrying Albert Home by Home Hickam

Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabath Tova Bailey

The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie

Moves:

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Marley & Me

A Street Cat Named Bob

Keanu

Nine Lives

The Secret Life of Pets 1 & 2

The Voices

Ace Venture: Pet Detective

Happy Birthday, Mo Willems!

February 11th is beloved children's book author Mo Willems' birthday! Let's celebrate him! Not only has he written and illustrated tons of  amazingly fun books, but he's also a voice actor and animator. If you visit his website,  http://pigeonpresents.com/, you can find all kinds of entertaining videos, games and activities for your kiddos to enjoy. Mo's books about his friends the Pigeon, Elephant & Piggie, Knufflebunny and Unlimited Squirrels have been huge hits with kids for awhile now. Below, you will find some of his other stories. Give them a try, if you haven't already fallen in love with them!

What About Worms!?

                                                            

Because

A Busy Creature's Day Eating:

An Alphabetical Smorgasbord

We Are Growing!

 The Itchy Book

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs

Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Your Pal Mo Willems Presents Sam,

the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World

Write On, Evansville!

It's February which means it's too cold and there's not much we can go out and about to do anyways. Are you feeling the need to get creative? We have just the thing for you!

Introducing "Write On, Evansville: A Collaborative Community Writing Project!" Share your writing, thoughts and creative energy as a way for us to come together while we have to be apart. Each journal available for checkout has a theme and is directed at a specific age group. You can do a little browsing by reading below.

Happy writing, Evansville!

Children:

Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend: Tell us about your best friend! Is it a person? Is it a pet? Why is he/she so awesome?

When I Grow Up: What do you want to be when you grow up? What will you miss about being a kid? What do you think the best part of being an adult will be?

Make Me Giggle: Share a joke or funny story.

The Day My Pet Could Talk: An Ongoing Fiction Story: Please read through what was previously written and then add your part of the story. It can be a couple paragraphs or pages long. Try to carry on with the storyline already written.

You can place a hold on one of the Children's notebooks by clicking HERE.

Young Adult:

Be the Change: If you had the ability to fix one problem in the world, what would it be? How would you solve the problem?

Good Vibes Only: Share a happy memory or positive thought to make someone else smile.

Make Me LOL: Share a joke or funny story.

And Then, They Just Disappeared: An Ongoing Fiction Story: Please read through what was previously written and then add your part of the story. It can be a couple paragraphs or pages long. Try to carry on with the storyline already written.

You can place a hold on one of the Young Adult notebooks by clicking HERE.

Adult:

Three Things Writing Challenge: Write a short story that includes the three things listed from the last writer. When you are finished with your short story, assign three different things for the next writer to build a story on. The “things” should be a person, place, or object.

Memories of Evansville Past: Share a memory of a person, place, event, etc. in Evansville that has stuck with you.

Make Me Laugh: Share a joke or funny story.

The Statue in the Library: An Ongoing Fiction Story: Please read through what was previously written and then add your part of the story. It can be a couple paragraphs or pages long. Try to carry on with the storyline already written.

You can place a hold on one of the Adult notebooks by clicking HERE.

FOR FANS OF THE AGATHA RAISIN SERIES

Are you a fan of the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton?  If yes, then you've come to the right spot!  Agatha Raisin is a cozy mystery series consisting of over 30 books.  

The first book in the series, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, introduces everyone to a protagonist who has retired early to the English countryside.  Agatha finds that she is having a hard time fitting in and decides to enter the local baking competition.  However, she has never baked anything before in her life, so she decides to submit a store-bought quiche as her own.  The judge from the contest ends up dead after eating a poisoned slice from Agatha's quiche.  Who poisoned the quiche?  Who was the intended target?  Can Agatha find out before any harm comes to her or someone else in the village?  

If you have already made your way through the Agatha Raisin series, you may be interested in some of the mystery series listed below.  Each title listed is the first book in the series.

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton - This is a natural next step for fans of Agatha Raisin as it is written by the same author.  This series centers around the local police officer, Hamish MacBeth, and are set in Scotland.

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie - This book introduces the reader to Miss Jane Marple.  Over the series she acts as a consulting detective; she is often depicted as an elderly spinster and has been portrayed numerous times on the stage, in film, and on television.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gillman - This series follows Emily Pollifax as after she joins the CIA.  A mix-up leads her down a career path in espionage.  

Dead Man's Island by Carolyn G. Hart - The first book in the series will introduce you to a middle-aged former journalist and amateur detective, Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins.  

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lillian Jackson Braun - This series follows a duo consisting of a reporter named Jim and a cat named Koko.

The No. Ladies's Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - In this series, you will meet Precious Ramotswe.  The stories take place in Botswana, and the setting usually plays a key role in the stories too.  Precious sets up her detective agency using the inheritance she receives from her father.

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: ALICE HOFFMAN

Alice Hoffman is an American author.  She grew up on Long Island and currently resides in Boston.  Over her career, she has written over 30 works including some for children and young adults.  Her work has been translated into other languages, appeared on notable books lists, and appeared on bestseller lists.  For more information on Alice Hoffman, visit her website at https://alicehoffman.com/.

Hoffman's latest novel is Magic Lessons.  This work is a prequel to Practical Magic.  It tells the story of Maria Owens who is accused of witchcraft in Salem.  Her descendants are featured in Hoffman's later works.

Whether you are new to Alice Hoffman or have read some of her work in the past, this blog post will help you find more to read by this prolific author.  Check out one of her books today!

Magic Lessons

The Third Angel

The World That We Knew

The Rules of Magic

Faithful

The Marriage of Opposites

The Museum of Extraordinary Things

Blue Diary

The Red Garden

The Story Sisters

Skylight Confessions

Here on Earth

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THERE'S SNOW PLACE LIKE A GOOD BOOK

There's no denying it.  Snow has arrived and winter is here to stay.  What better way to enjoy this cold season than to curl up with a snowy read.  This week's post contains a list of books that take place in the winter and/or in snowy locations.  Get yourself a blanket and curl up in your favorite spot to enjoy one of these reads today!

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

The Winter Station by Jody Shields

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NEW YEAR, NEW SKILLS

Happy New Year!  Are you someone who believes that a new year means learning new skills?  Are you someone that likes to set a resolution at the start of each new year?  The library is here to help you reach your goals by providing access to many databases that you can access from home.  All you need is your library card!  We have pulled out a few databases to highlight this week that may help you meet your goals for 2021.  Whether you are working toward your resolution or just interested in learning something new, the library has got you covered.  To access these resources, visit the library's website at als.lib.wi.us/EFPL and click on "Online Tools" in the top right corner.  

 

Gale Courses - This database offers a range of instructor led courses.  The next set of classes will begin on January 13 and run for six weeks.  Some upcoming classes include:

• Where Does All My Money Go?
• Introduction to Microsoft Word 2019/Office 365
• Start and Operate Your Own Home-Based Business
• Drawing for the Absolute Beginner
• Beginning Conversational French
• Lose Weight and Keep It Off
• Start Your Own Edible Garden

Creativebug - This database provides access to thousands of art and craft video classes.  Some example projects include:

• Sew a Pie Carrier
• Basic Line Drawing
• Beginning Watercolor
• STEAM: Make Balloon Propelled Vehicles
• Crochet a Donut Rattle
• Colored Pencil Workshop: A Daily Practice
• Patchwork Landscape Wall Hanging

Mango Languages - This database can help you learn over 70 languages.  Languages include:

• Spanish (Latin American)
• French
• English
• Japanese
• German
• Korean
• Chinese (Mandarin)
• Dutch
• Swahili

BadgerLink - This database provides access to a wide variety of resources.  Some popular resources include:

• Archive of Wisconsin Newspapers
• Auto Repair Source
• Consumer Reports Magazine
• HeritageQuest Online
• LearningExpress Library
• Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary
• PBS Wisconsin Education
• Small Engine Repair Reference Center

AtoZ Food America & AtoZ World Food - These two databases provide information on different foods throughout the world as well as different recipes to try.  For example, if you look up Wisconsin, you can access recipes for dishes such as Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad, Fried Cheese Curds, Beef Lombardi, and Krumkake while also learning about state foods, the top agricultural products, and more.