Month: July 2018

Nonfiction: True Crime

Posted on by Shelby

Halloween is not the only time to put you in the mood to be scared with terrifying stories and creepy movies. If chilling stories are for you, then an overlooked section of nonfiction would be the true crime section, beginning with the call number 364. Section 364 is the true crime section, where you can read real stories and accounts of actual crimes and people, like unsolved murder mysteries, information on different serial killers, and more. Not only will you be scared witless, you’ll learn a little something along the way as well.

I believe true crime stories like the ones housed throughout the Aurora Public Library District continue to fascinate us because we want to understand the psychology of those who are different, especially those who are accused or convicted of horrendous crimes. We want to see what makes them so different from us “normal” people when we all look “normal” on the outside– at least, that’s why I find them so fascinating. What makes these accounts all the more terrifying is the fact that they actually did happen and could very well happen to anyone today.

A few of the titles you’ll find on the shelves are:

The 10 Worst Serial Killers by Victor McQueen

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi

Cellar of Horror by Ken Englade

Cruel Sacrifice by Aphrodite Jones

The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy by Elizabeth Kendall

Dead by Sunset: Perfect Husband, Perfect Killer? by Ann Rule

Along with the physical copies of true crime stories housed at the Aurora and Dillsboro branches, we also have several digital copies of various true crime stories available from the Indiana Digital Download Center. Stop by one of the branches to browse the shelves or you can always browse our virtual shelves online.

Happy Reading!

The Secret Life of Bees

Posted on by Shelby

Recently I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd for the Library’s teen book discussion group, Stuck Between the Pages. It was one of those books that are sort-of/kind-of on your To Be Read list but never quite make it to the top of the pile. But after reading it, I wondered why I had waited so long to do so; it was amazing.

The Secret Life of Bees is set in tumultuous North Carolina in 1964, where fourteen-year-old Lily Owens lives on her cruel father’s peach orchard, eaten alive by the hazy memory she has of the afternoon her mother was killed when Lily was four. When Rosaleen, her father’s black housemaid and Lily’s stand-in mother, decides to register to vote, she takes Lily along with her. Before they get there, Rosaleen is confronted by three of the most racist men in town, insulting them and getting herself (and Lily) arrested. Lily decides to spring them both free and the two of them are on the run, guided only by an old photograph of Lily’s mother with the words, “Tiburon, South Carolina” on the back and an old label featuring the Black Madonna. Lily and Rosaleen do wind up in Tiburon and take refuge with a trio of beekeeping sisters who might just have the key to Lily’s mother’s past.

This was by far one of the most powerful books I have ever read, one that will most likely stay with me. For anyone interested in historical fiction or the classic bildungsroman tale, this is definitely one I would recommend. And even if it’s not a book you would typically pick up to read, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy it as well.

Happy Reading!

Calling All High Schoolers!

Posted on by Shelby

Are you (or will you be) in high school? Are you looking for a group of like-minded people who love books as much as you do? Do you have a lot to say about every book you read? Or do you just want to make new friends and eat snacks? Well, you’re in luck! Stuck Between the Pages is the perfect group for you!

Stuck Between the Pages is a book club for those in high school that meets the second Tuesday of the month upstairs in the teen area at the Aurora Public Library at 6 p.m. Come and discuss books with a group of people who love books as much as you do. Plus, there are always snacks!

Stop in anytime to pick up your book and register at the upper level desk. We’ll see you at the next meeting!

Libraries Rock! with Open Houses

Posted on by Shelby

What an awesome summer! Celebrate by attending the Libraries Rock! Open Houses at the Dillsboro Public Library on Friday, July 20 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and at the Aurora Public Library on Wednesday, July 25 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Walk around the buildings and view pictures from the Summer Reading Program, crafts, and enjoy some refreshments. The prize drawing will take place at 2 p.m. in both buildings as well as at the Local History Library @ the Depot on Wednesday, July 25 at 2 p.m. We can’t wait to see you there!

How to Knock Off Titles from Your To Be Read List

Posted on by Shelby

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a To Be Read list a mile and a half long. You also probably bump books lower on the list when more intriguing ones catch your attention, or pick up books that aren’t anywhere on your list at all to be read first. I’ve had books on my list for years that I still haven’t gotten around to reading yet because I get distracted by other books. So is there any hope for us to tackle our To Be Read piles? Will we ever reach the end?

Probably not. But we can try to knock some out!

Read Shorter Books First

You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll breeze through the smaller books and then you’ll have time to tackle the larger tomes at the end of your list. Plus, if you’re participating in a yearly book challenge — like the one on Goodreads — you’ll read more books faster!

Prioritize Your List

Are you really going to read those classics you should have read in school but never got around to it? I promise your ninth grade English teacher will never find out! Also, the longer the book has been on your list, the least likely you are to ever read it. Cross it off your list for now; you can always go back and add it again!

Don’t Buy Any Books

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought a book with every intention to read it right away, but something else distracts me and it winds up on the back of the bookshelf. Take advantage of the Library’s physical collection and digital collection on OverDrive. So even if you don’t get around to reading the book, you didn’t waste any money on it!

Check Your List Often

This is an easy one for me because I use Goodreads, which allows users to add books to a Want to Read shelf, as well as shelves that show Completed books, Currently Reading, Favorites, and more. I will periodically go through my Want to Read shelf and read the little synopses of books I had added and delete those that don’t catch my attention anymore. You can look up book blurbs and go through your own pile or list to decide what stays and what goes.

Listen To Audiobooks

Do you have a long commute? Is it hard to do chores in silence? Instead of cranking up mindless music, download some audiobooks that you’ve been meaning to read. This still counts as reading the book! You can always pause or go back to a section if your mind wandered and you forgot what you were listening to (guilty). You can knock out twice as many books this way.

If none of this works, I fully support your decision to quit your job and become a hermit so that you’ll have all the time in the world to read the mountain of books on your list that seems to get higher and higher with each passing day.

Happy Reading!

Libraries Rock! with the Rock ‘N’ Rope Warrior

Posted on by Shelby

Join us at the Aurora City Park on Wednesday, July 18 at 1 p.m. for an interactive, visually entertaining jump rope show! The Rock ‘N’ Rope Warrior, David Fisher, will perform jump rope tricks with music, with audience participation and glow-in-the-dark jump ropes! No registration is required for this program, so come one and come all, and bring your families! This program will take place in lieu of the 1 p.m. Story Hour at the Aurora Public Library.

Libraries Rock! with Teen Musical Trivia Night and Inspirational Lyric Painting

Posted on by Jessica

Libraries Rock! with Teen Musical Trivia Night and Inspirational Lyric Painting

Are you a teen? Can you recite all the lyrics to your favorite musicals?

Then come out to the Dillsboro Public Library on July 17th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM or

the Aurora Public Library on July 19th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM and test that musical knowledge!

A first place prize will be awarded!

Musicals not your thing? Then stick around for snacks and fun inspirational lyric painting on canvas!


Libraries Rock! with Penguins

Posted on by Shelby

Cool off at the Dillsboro Public Library on Monday, July 16 at 2 p.m. and meet a live African penguin, sponsored by the Newport Aquarium! Do you want a penguin to waddle around you? Do you wonder why African penguins are endangered? Would you like to learn more about them? Enjoy a live penguin encounter and stay for a penguin craft and a cool treat! No registration is required for this program!

Libraries Rock! Hexbugs Galore

Posted on by Shelby

Engineer an obstacle course for your hexbug that is better than your competitors’. Can your hexbug beat the others in an obstacle course that you and your friends designed? Come find out whose course is the best! Join us at the Aurora Public Library on Friday, July 13 at 2 p.m. for Hexbugs Galore, a Family Friday program! No registration is required, so bring your whole family and compete against each other!