Month: March 2018

Magazines to help you do stuff!

Posted on by Bobbie

 

The library offers so much more than recreational reading material. We have lots of resources to help you get stuff done, and have fun! Whether you like to hike, fish, garden, tinker or go antiquing we have what you need to  make the most of everything you do.

Sky & Telescope – The complete resource for amateur astronomers for over 70 years, Sky & Telescope provides readers with information on observing the sky, offering reviews and buyer’s guide information on the latest products as well as tips, how-to’s and much more.

Field & Stream – America’s Number One sportsman’s magazine, featuring in-depth articles on hunting, fishing, outdoor adventure, and conservation news. First-class fiction, and more. Field & Stream, editorial excellence for over 100 years.

Motor Trend – America’s automotive authority filled with road tests, service features, forecasts and racing news. A guide new-car buyers & enthusiasts trust most! An import and export automotive authority.

Popular Mechanics – Popular Mechanics is for people who have a passion to know how things work. It’s about how the latest advances in science and technology will impact your home, your car, consumer electronics, computers, even your health. Popular Mechanics – answers for curious minds.

Backwoods Home – Backwoods Home Magazine is written for people who have a desire to pursue personal independence, self-sufficiency, and their dreams. We offer “how-to” articles on owner-built housing, independent energy, gardening, health, self-employment, country living, and other topics related to an independent and self-reliant lifestyle.

Family Handyman – The #1 magazine for Do-it-yourself homeowners. Step-by-step maintenance, repair and improvement projects, plus tool skills, DIY tips, and product buying advice. Lots of great ideas on storage, weekend projects, improving your yard, woodworking, and décor. Cut the cost of owning a home and enjoy the satisfaction of doing it yourself!

Antiques – The Magazine Antiques brings you the fascinating worlds of architecture, interior design, and fine and decorative artsfrom the dawn of civilization to the modern era.You’ll learn about private collections and museums around the world that highlight the latest trends in collecting and decorating with antiques.

Backpacker – Magazine of wilderness travel offering practical “you can do it–here’s how” advice to enjoy every trip. Filled with the best places, gear and information for all kinds of hiking and camping trips with fold-out maps and stunning color photography.

Bicycling –  Since 1962, bicycling has been inspiring people to get more out of their cycling passion. Each action-packed issue is filled with proven secrets to go faster, stronger, longer. Increase your stamina; buy the best gear for your money; locate a great ride; improve your performance; perfect your technique; fuel your passion.

The list of great resources goes on and on. Stop by and see if we have what you you need.

The Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong

Posted on by Bobbie

Rockton

 

ADULT / MYSTERY / SERIES

Don’t look for Rockton on any map of the Yukon. This tiny, off-the-grid town doesn’t exist. Neither do the people in it. They’re all on the run from their pasts, needing a place where they can disappear for a few years.

Casey’s best friend, Diana, is on the run from a violent, abusive ex-husband. When Diana’s husband finds her, and Casey herself is attacked shortly after, Casey knows it’s time for the two of them to disappear again.

Diana has heard of a town made for people like her, a town that takes in people on the run who want to shed their old lives. You must apply to live in Rockton and if you’re accepted, it means walking away entirely from your old life, and living off the grid in the wilds of Canada: no cell phones, no Internet, no mail, no computers, very little electricity, and no way of getting in or out without the town council’s approval. As a murderer, Casey isn’t a good candidate, but she has something they want: She’s a homicide detective, and Rockton has just had its first real murder. She and Diana are in. However, soon after arriving, Casey realizes that the identity of a murderer isn’t the only secret Rockton is hiding—in fact, she starts to wonder if she and Diana might be in even more danger in Rockton than they were in their old lives.

I am currently reading book three and have truly enjoyed this series. The setting is perfect for a good mystery and the character of Casey is believable, flawed, but very much likeable nonetheless.

 

5 Problems Book Worms Face

Posted on by Michaela

Tell me do any of these sound familiar???

I think these are all something us bookworms have felt at one time or another.

1.

When the book ends and there isn’t a sequel

2.

When reading time keeps getting interrupted

3.

You think about doing dishes and laundry but you found a book you wanted to read instead

4.

You wish reading burned as many calories as running

5.

You have a massive pile of books but you still have the urge to check out more from the library

 

I bet you found your head nodding along to at least one of these. Let me know what your biggest bookworm problem is in the comments!

Social Media: Follow Us!

Posted on by Shelby

Did you know that the Aurora Public Library District is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? These social media sites are just another way for you to connect to us! At the top right-hand corner of the Library website, you can click the images to find our accounts, but you can also:

 

At the top of the screen, search “Aurora Public Library District.” Be sure to Like and Follow us, too!

 

Our handle is “@auroralibrary.” Be sure to give us a Follow and Tweet and Retweet us, too!

 

Search “auroralibrary” to find us and give us a Follow! Tag us in the books you’re reading, the DVD’s you’re watching, and the audiobooks you’re listening to!

 

If you’re unsure if the account is ours or not, just search for our logo. We’d love for you to check in, tag us, send us messages, and more! Keep the Aurora Public Library District connected to you wherever you go!

As always, Happy Reading!

March is National Craft Month!

Posted on by Bobbie

Did you know March is National Craft Month? Get the whole family involved with  kid-friendly paper crafts, from origami animals to tissue-paper pom-poms. Use leftover fabric and wooden beads to create a dazzling DIY necklace that will be the envy of all your friends. “Upcycle” old furniture and decor odds and ends using decoupage. Embrace your needle and thread and stitch your way through National Craft Month — making handmade phone covers, friendly stuffed animals, and so much more. Everything you need to know you can find out at your library. On the shelves and online we have a great selection of craft how-to books filled with ideas galore.

 

Series Starters: The Red Queen

Posted on by Shelby

Fantastical, dystopian societies are all the rage with young adult fiction these days, and The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard fits right in.

The world is divided in two, by blood; Red or Silver. People with Red blood are normal humans, but people with Silver blood are elite, with special powers that set them above the Red-blooded. Mare Barrow is a poor Red, just barely scraping by with her family until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Despite her red blood, Mare discovers that she possesses powers of her own that threatens to destroy the careful balance of power. The Silvers who discover her powers hide her in plain sight, claiming Mare is a lost Silver princess who is now engaged to a Silver prince. Carefully walking the razor edge between Mare’s compliance and her death, she decides to aid a Red alliance to overthrow the Silvers from power.

The Aurora Public Library District owns the first three books in the series, with the fourth and final book expected to be published sometime in 2018. The Indiana Digital Download Center also has the first three books as well as two prequels and audio books. Check these out today!

Happy Reading!

National Read an E-Book Week

Posted on by Shelby

I know it seems like there are holidays celebrating everything under the sun, but, to me, that means there’s always an excuse for a party and cake!

March 4-10 is National Read an E-Book Week, and the Indiana Digital Download Center has everything you’re looking for and more! What better way to celebrate than by holing yourself up in the comfort of your own home and plowing through as many e-books as you can throughout the week?

Sometimes you don’t want to leave the house; you don’t want to make yourself look presentable, put on real pants, and drive to the library. I get it. All of the staff at the Aurora Public Library District get it. It doesn’t offend us at all! But sometimes you need a book to read, and you need it now.

If you have a smartphone, computer, e-Reader, or tablet (like an iPad, or something like it), you can download the free app OverDrive right to your device. While you’re downloading apps to your device, you might as well find the free Kindle reading app, too; many books available through OverDrive and the Indiana Digital Download Center are formatted for the Kindle, so having the reading app makes it easier for you to download books to your device without you having to continually read in your browser, which eats up your data or can deter you from reading at all, if you don’t have WiFi.

Once your app is downloaded, you’ll be able to find us under the Aurora Public Library District. It is important that you select this option. Next, you’ll type in your library card number located on the back of your library card, and your pin number. Your pin number is a four-digit number that you would have set up when you applied for a library card. If you’re unsure as to what your pin number is, or if you believe you never set one up, just give us a call or stop in. We can’t see what you set your pin number from our screens, but we can reset it for you.

Then, you’re ready to browse! Browse the collection by what’s available now, search for specific titles, and even browse specific reading levels, like teen, children, and mature adult. When you’ve made a selection, just click to borrow the title or put it on hold. You can download the title as a PDF to your computer to transfer to your other devices, read from your Internet browser, or download the title directly to your device with the Kindle reading app or as an ePub with iBooks. In your settings, you can customize your lending period for 7, 14, or 21 days. The best part about that? After your lending period is up, the title automatically disappears, which means no late fees!

Despite the convenience offered to you with OverDrive, this process can be a little confusing. If you get stuck, please feel free to give the library a call and we can walk you through the process. Or stop in and bring your device and we’ll go through each step together. We would love to help you!

Happy Reading!

National Grammar Day

Posted on by Shelby

It’s the most wonderful day of the year — at least, it is if you majored in English in college and love to write! Sunday, March 4 is National Grammar Day.

I know, I know; I’m excited, too.  I can hardly blame you. If you’re like Aunt Josephine and me, and want to correct every grammatical error and typo you come across, then this is the holiday you need to celebrate!

The Aurora Public Library District has just what you need!

Grammar is often defined as a set of rules speakers and writers must follow, but many scholars believe that grammar is used to better understand the language. Even though there are some grammatical rules that are fixated for all eternity, grammar can still change as the language changes.

We have books on how to improve your grammar, so you can perfect that Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram post, so as to make all your followers envious about how smart you are. We have titles on beginning and intermediate grammar lessons for all levels! We also have titles on how to write better while using correct grammar, so your next novel will need next-to-no editing! If you would rather check out digital books through the Indiana Digital Download Center with OverDrive, we’ve got you covered there, too!

So, brush up on your grammar and celebrate #NationalGrammarDay! (Ha! The # is a perfect example of how grammar can change with the changing language!)

Happy Reading!

Series Starters: The Waking Land

Posted on by Shelby

The Waking Land by Callie Bates was just released in June of 2017, but I’m already sucked into the hype and can’t wait for the second book to be released in May of 2018. This novel would probably be categorized in the genre New Adult, which is the in-between phase of books with characters between the ages of about eighteen and thirty.

The Waking Land begins with the kidnapping of Elanna Valtai, a five-year-old girl with incredible powers  who is the daughter of a duke and duchess in the north, where magic is still possible and the very earth is alive. Elanna is raised by King Antoine like a daughter, but is still ostracized by members of his court. Falsely accused of his murder, Alanna must flee with a band of rebels to the north, back home, where her dormant powers begin to awaken. Chock-full of magic and adventures, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat and second-guessing until the very last page.

Elanna’s first-person, present-tense narration keeps the story directly in front of you, so you feel like you’re witnessing the events of the novel right alongside Elanna, Jahan, Sophie, Finn, and the rest of the characters. Your heart will pound when they’re being chased or captured, you will weep when key characters are killed, and you will rejoice when they rejoice. I’m excited to see how the rest of the series will turn out, especially since the second book is told from Jahan’s point of view.

Happy Reading!