Library re-opening date, my favorite books of 2020, and an end-of-year note to you, Library Champion
Library Champion,
Great news: we will be re-opening next Monday (December 28th, 2020). Our hours will remain the same and we will continue offering contactless service; your requested materials are already checked out to you and ready for you to grab-and-go! Enter the first set of doors at the library and pick up what you requested from the bookshelf. Also, all materials (excluding hotspots and Chromebooks) will now get 3-week checkouts instead of 2-weeks. If you have to pay for something or have a question, knock on the second set of doors and someone will assist you.
You can manage your checkouts, request materials, and more on our website through the My Account feature. Let us know if we can assist you in any way!
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My Favorite Books of 2020
I love reading people's "best of the year" lists, be it their favorite music, movies, TV shows and of course their favorite books! Allow me to add to it with my favorite books of 2020...
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The most thought-provoking book I read in 2020: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (reviewed on 12/12). After reading The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko & Tucker Carrington back in January 2019 and Just Mercy this year, I have no plans anytime soon to visit the Deep South. I acknowledge I am saying this from a position of privilege as a white male who would never have to worry about any of the things that happened to people of color told in these books. Both books detail a rich history of discrimination and mistreatment towards people of color through the criminal justice system. Just Mercy looks at that through the lens of the death penalty, where the state of Alabama has more people, including children, on death row or sentenced to life without parole than any other country in the world. I was changed by reading this book. Click here to request to borrow Just Mercy.
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The books I read by my favorite author: The Law of Innocence (Lincoln Lawyer series book #6, reviewed on 11/14) and Fair Warning (Jack McEvoy series book #3, reviewed on 6/6) by Michael Connelly. I am always excited to read books by Michael Connelly and he gave us 2 new books in the same calendar year. This was the first Lincoln Lawyer book in 5 years, the first Jack McEvoy book in 11 years, and the first time he didn’t give us a Harry Bosch book (his main series) in 7 years. He did interweave Bosch into the Lincoln Lawyer book, but it was nice to hear from his other characters. They were missed! Click here to request to borrow The Law of Innocence and click here to request to borrow Fair Warning.
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The book that was outdone by its movie version: Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan (reviewed on 10/17). The Prince of Thieves was adapted to the big screen and titled The Town, directed and starring Ben Affleck with Rebecca Hall, John Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Titus Welliver, Chris Cooper, Blake Lively and more. I watched the movie when it came out in 2010 so I couldn’t read Prince of Thieves without imagining each of those actors/actresses in their respective roles. The movie has the advantage over the book in that bank robberies and armored car heists are more vivid when seen instead of read. It’s one thing to read about the creepy masks the robbers wear or the noise their automatic weapons make. It’s another thing to see and hear them. However, I found the storytelling and detail vivid enough in Prince of Thieves that I felt I was right there in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, which is claimed to have produced more bank robbers and armored car thieves than anywhere in the world. Side note: the only other movie that I felt was better than the book was Ordinary People. Click here to request to borrow Prince of Thieves.
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The most well-written book I read in 2020: Say nothing: A true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe (reviewed on 6/27). This was a heavy book that spared no details. Radden Keefe writes for The New Yorker, so you know he is a top-notch, eloquent writer. I’m ashamed to admit that I knew little about the 400 years of colonial/sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, let alone the basic fact that part of the island of Ireland is not part of the country of Ireland. The life stories of IRA fighters were told in vivid detail and told how the conflict spilled over into the lives of everyone in entire towns and cities, the long-term health effects a hunger strike has on a person and what the cost is for living your entire life dedicated to a cause. This is not a fast read but definitely worth your time. Click here to request to borrow Say nothing: A true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland.
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The most vivid and harrowing book I read in 2020: Long Bright River by Liz Moore (reviewed on 5/16). This novel took place in Philadelphia, which immediately drew me in since I grew up just outside the city. The story is based on a Philadelphia police officer who is working in a neighborhood of Philadelphia rife with heroin and opioid use, severe economic decline and people living their lives in the streets. The story of her growing up, her dysfunctional family, who the father of her son is all unfolds slowly but you know much of it wasn’t pretty. In the neighborhood she patrols there is a serial rapist and murderer who is preying on young transient women, one of whom is her sister. Bottom line: I had a hard time putting this book down. Click here to request to borrow Long Bright River.
Let us know what your favorite books of 2020 were: email us, call, or visit us online to share!
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Write off your donations from 2020
2020 will soon end and now is the time to get organized with your tax write-offs for charitable donations. We send in the mail to you a letter acknowledging your donation to the library that you can file for your taxes. If you did not receive such a letter and you gave to the library in 2020, contact us. You can make a donation to the library in under 2 minutes. Click here to do just that.
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Your library misses you. We wish you and your family health and wellbeing during these (and all) times.
Vince
P.S.- You don't need to make an account or jump through any hoops to be a library champion. I wouldn't say this if it wasn't true. You can make this happen in less than a minute. Just click here.