@ Your Library
October has clipped right along. We are almost through another year. I know I haven’t had as much reading time as I would like, but is that even possible. I have been reading lots of escapist books for all ages. Lots of fantasy and science fiction in worlds that don’t ask much of me other than to be present. I am also continuing to reread titles by my favorite author and remembering why she had such an impact on me.
Spooky season is here and last week I shared several titles that might be of interest for those who like to scare themselves or be scared. If you want to go out and see some of Minnesota’s scary places borrow the Minnesota Road Guide to Haunted Locations by Chad Lewis or Mysterious Minnesota: digging up a ghostly past at 13 locations by Adrian Lee.
None of that is for me, so this week, I’ll share some fall titles that might appeal to those looking to not be scared when they spend time alone at the shack or in the deer stand. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a atmospheric tale of a reclusive author at the end of her life who lets a biographer write what really happened in her life. Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races is set to take place on November 1, so this a great time to read this older young adult title that pits two previous winners of the water horse race against each other.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware is strange tale of inheritance, and wrong identity. While Small Spaces by Katherine Arden is a ghost tale told by 11 year old Ollie who has to get home after her school bus breaks down on a field trip. This is followed by a sequel, Dead Voices in which Ollie and her best friends are stuck in a haunted ski resort. Katherine Arden also wrote the amazing “Winternight” trilogy about Russian and Ukrainian folklore The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch.
Several years ago, the library removed our fine structure for late materials. That means that we no longer charge fines for late materials, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want materials borrowed returned in a timely manner. We do. And if you borrow something and don’t return it within at least eight weeks of taking it home, the item is automatically declared lost and your card is billed for the replacement of that item. If you then return the item, there isn’t a charge, but until items are returned you won’t be able to borrow anything else from the library. Please help us keep our items available for as many members of the community to borrow as possible. If you are having problems getting materials back to us, please communicate with us, we are willing to work with you and whatever your current situation is.