Can You ID These Famous Passages?

LitHub invites you to test your knowledge, memory, and maybe break up the pandemic monotony with their book quiz. Here's a few to get you started - 97 more to go!

"The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is . . 42."

"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength."

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others."

You're Not Imagining It

You're not imagining it, nobody seems to want to talk right now.

Messages are brief and replies late.

Talk of catch ups on zoom are perpetually put on hold.

Group chats are no longer pinging all night long.

It's not you.

It's everyone.

We are spent.

We have nothing left to say.

We are tired of saying 'I miss you' and 'I can't wait for this to end'.

So we mostly say nothing, put our heads down and get through each day.

You're not imagining it.

This is a state of being like no other we have ever known because we are all going through it together but so very far apart.

Hang in there my friend.

When the mood strikes, send out all those messages and don't feel you have to apologise for being quiet.

This is hard.

No one is judging.

- Donna Ashworth

Visit upworthy for the accompanying article. You're not alone.

Living in a Library

Back in the day, New York City libraries were heated with coal. There was a custodian that lived in the library to keep it warm, clean, and secure at night. Their families often lived with them as was the case for Raymond Clark. His son, Ronald, was 15 when they moved in. He admits to being ashamed at first, but discovered it had its advantages.

"I could run and scream and jump and yell. And if I had any question about anything, I would get up in the middle of the night, go down, get out a book, read until 3 o'clock in the morning," he says. "I began to realize how great I had it because the library gave me the thirst of learning — and this just never left me." 

Find out where this unusual arrangement led Ronald and view the StoryCorps animated version of the Clark's story "Temple of Knowledge" here.

Lockdown Eyestrain

Many of us are using screens now more than ever; work/school from home, zoom calls, e-books, and binge-watching. BBC has 5 ways to lessen eyestrain. 

• 20-20-20 rule
• Think blink
• Sort out your screen
• Bigger text 
• Get outdoors

Please refer to the article for more detailed information. They also have suggestions for keeping your back pain free and keeping positive.

Book Adaptations

The LA Times takes a look at the 16 (sixteen!) book adaptations up for awards this season. From 'Ratched' to 'Emma' to 'Normal People' find out what the critics have to say about these movies and TV adaptations. Here's more about Hollywood's book boom.

Check the library catalogue to read before you watch (or vice-versa)!

Bringing Happy Moments to Life

Ocee's yoga instructor Patricia G, gives steps to tap into happy moments.

"We can choose to think about and reflect upon happy moments in our lives. We have the power to fill our consciousness with sensations that give us a sense of well-being."

1) Make a clear decision to do this, believing in your own power to create the life you want.
Recall times in the past where you have taken control in an out-of-control situation. Know your own strength.

2) Choose to create some quiet time for yourself, no phones, no outer demands. Find a spot where you will not be disturbed, even for a short period of time, and where you find comfort. You deserve this.

3) Bring to mind one or more happy moments in your life, savoring the details and becoming aware of the feelings in this moment in time. Give yourself a set amount of time to fill your consciousness with this positivity.

Patricia Gagne is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9302350489
Live Energy Yoga Classes on Zoom
Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:00 AM
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 PM

Obama Presidential Center Plans

The Chicago Sun Times reports that the Obama Presidential Center 'will include a 235-foot stone-sheathed tower containing a museum; a dual-use building for events and athletic activities; a Chicago Public Library branch; a forum with offices; and outdoor space. The shade of the stone is still to be determined, Healey said.

There will also be a fruit and vegetable garden, a carryover from one of former first lady Michelle Obama’s signature projects — her White House vegetable garden, which gained notice across the globe.'

Literary Couples

For Valentine's Day, LitHub asked their staff for the best and worst couples in literature. One couple makes both lists and some that are typically thought of as romantic, well... maybe not. Find out the couples you might want to double date with and those to block on your social.

Visit the library on-line to find them in print or on film.

Literacy Hero LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton, the actor and longtime host of Reading Rainbow, has been named the inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, a new annual commendation that will "recognize devoted literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers," the PEN/Faulkner Foundation said in a release. Burton will be honored in a virtual celebration on May 10, when this year’s PEN/Faulkner Award winner—its 40th—will be announced.

“I come from a family for whom service to others is the highest possible calling,” Burton said. “Whatever efforts I have made toward advancing the cause of literacy, give honor to my mother, Erma Gene Christian, my first teacher and from whom I have inherited my love for books and reading.

Read more about Mr Burton's accomplishments here.

Vinegar Valentines

 

Before poison pen letters, cyber-bullies, and twitter trolls, there was the 'vinegar valentine'. With the mass production of Valentine cards and inexpensive postage, the number of Valentines sent in the 1800s soared. About half of those sent in the US in the mid-1800s were of the sarcastic mocking kind. Some even suggested suicide to the recipient! Visit CrimeReads for more about this practice.

Library Lovers Week

Libraries and librarians have had a rough year. They've supported us - although in new and different ways. Here's a few things we can do to support them!

Donate your dollars (at this time, donate to the Foundation)

Check out books and resources

Participate in virtual events (fulcolibrary.com)

Advocate for your libraries

Support libraries on social media

Volunteer (volunteer opportunities are currently on hold)

"Gee's Bend" (free theater!)

Act 1 Theater presents

"Gee’s Bend" – Feb 19 & 20, 26 & 27 2021 – Fri/Sat at 8 pm

In celebration of Black History Month with the City of Alpharetta

Gee’s Bend is the story of the Pettway women, quilters from the isolated community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Beginning in 1939, the play follows Alice, her daughters Sadie and Nella, and Sadie’s husband, Macon, through segregation, family strife, and the Civil Rights movement. Throughout their lives, the women’s extraordinary quilts provide a respite from the turmoil around them. In the last act of the play, it is the year 2000; the quilts have been discovered as folk art and have become very valuable. Sadie is pleased with the recognition, but despite the lure of the big city, she returns to Gee’s Bend and continues to quilt. Wilder’s play explores the resilience of the human spirit, especially as it is expressed in art. For middle school and older.

Click this link to go to Act 1 secure ticketing site and get your free streaming ticket (compliments of the City of Alpharetta) to "Gee’s Bend". 

Visit the library (on-line) to learn more about Black history or quilting. 

Handwritten

“To me, typing is like work, Neil Gaiman explained. “Writing with a pen is like playing. And you can write on planes when they’re taking off and landing.”

An article from Fast Company examines the benefits of writing by hand.  

Merging Resources

Starting February 1, all of our magazines from RB Digital will merge into Overdrive and the Libby app! Our most popular eBook and eAudiobook platform focuses on providing access to adult fiction and non-fiction, with a special emphasis on bestsellers. Check out up to 15 titles at a time and carry an additional 15 on hold. While wait times may appear to be long, eBooks and downloadable audio circulate faster than other materials.

"The Hill We Climb"

“The Hill We Climb”
Amanda Gorman

When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast, we’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace and the norms and notions of what just is, isn’t always justice. And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it, somehow we do it, somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished...

Learn more about the young poet and read the entire text here.

Brothers (and Sisters)