Columbia Pike Library is hosting a school supply drive on behalf of the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC).
Donations can be dropped off at the Columbia Pike Library service desk through Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Suggested donations include:
Reminder: this is a spoiler-filled podcast. So if you’re not into that kind of thing, read the books first and come back later.
Ep.8: "Beowulf & The Mere Wife"
For this episode we read both Maria Headley’s translation of the Old English epic poem "Beowulf" and “The Mere Wife,” Headley's 2015 retelling of Beowulf, which is set in present-day New York.
Share your thoughts about this book, or anything else you’re reading, in our Facebook group, or on twitter using the #BigBookPodcast hashtag.
If you’d like to make a suggestion for future reading send us your recommendations on the Big Book Club Podcast page.
Episode Links
We're Reading
Upcoming Books:
UPDATE AUGUST 10: All service has been restored.
We are currently experiencing connection issues with our ProQuest databases, resulting in full and partial outages.
The affected products include:
We're working with the vendor on a resolution, and apologize for the inconvenience.
In Jazz Age DC, a typist assembles an unlikely group to pull of a supernatural heist to stop a growing terror stalking Black Broadway in "The Monsters We Defy" by Leslye Penelope. Travel to 1980s New York as the fictional Trey Singleton navigates life and activism at the height of the AIDS crisis, meeting several real-life figures along the way in "My Government Means to Kill Me" by Rasheed Newsome.
Local meteorologist Matthew Cappucci explains weather and his life-long obsession with storms in "Looking Up: The True Adventures of a Storm-Chasing Weather Nerd." Washington Post reporter Helena Andrews-Dyer explores motherhood, race, and class through the lens of her experiences in a neighborhood mothers group in gentrified Bloomingdale in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in "The Mamas: What I Learned About Kids, Class and Race from Moms Not Like Me."
Middle Grade readers will fall for Adela’s exploration of family when she learns her estranged biological father and extended family are famous luchadors in Celia C. Pérez’s "Tumble." Teen readers will enjoy the spooky horror of what happens when Cali and Maz’s missing best friend shows up five years after disappearing, but he's stayed the exact same age in "Dead Flip" by Sarah Farizan.
Watch now: https://youtu.be/f_-gQ2tX4GQ
Márquez is a marine science education expert, currently finishing her doctoral degree at Curtin University. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Mexico, Melissa has worked at the forefront of marine science education and communication for over a decade, hard at work combatting the misinformation that’s rampant in ecological fields — and paving the way for Latina women like her in science.
Márquez is also the author of the “Wild Survival” kids’ adventure series.
RESOLVED: Saturday, July 30
Arlington County is experiencing an unexpected phone and call center outage.
If you need to contact the Library during this time, please visit us in person, or use the email forms on the Contact Us page.
We apologize for any inconvenience the phone outage may cause.
Watch now: https://youtu.be/qmbYwJRDlD8
Alex Myers, author and transgender advocate, discusses his work to help communities become more gender inclusive. Myers teaches English at Phillips Exeter Academy. Since coming out as transgender in 1995, he has worked with schools to help them support transgender students and become more gender inclusive. Myers is also a novelist whose work explore gender, identity, and history. His novels include “Revolutionary,” “Continental Divide,” and “The Story of Silence.”
Alex Myers most recent book, “Supporting Transgender Students: Understanding Gender Identity and Reshaping School Culture” is a guide to help schools learn the basics of what gender is and why it matters in education.
VOX Books enable children to listen to an audio recording directly from a printed book.
No wi-fi, computer, tablet or phone is required. Instead an audio reader - attached to the front cover and controlled by a push button - allows your child to listen and read along.
VOX Books combine outstanding picture books and non-fiction with audio recordings that capture children’s attention and make learning and literacy development fun.
VOX Books are available at every open Library location. Titles include fiction and nonfiction in English and Spanish.
VOX Books:
Did you know that following along in a book while being read to is one of the most important early literacy practices? Children learn which sounds make up words, how books work, and the connection between spoken language and written language. They also develop their vocabulary and thinking skills.
Long summer days are great for reading a new book, whether you’re relaxing on the beach or communing on the Metro.
Find these books and more in the Library catalog.
Fiction:
Be sure to check out the twelve linked stories in Morgan Talty’s gritty “Night of the Living Rez.” Monk and Robot return in the much-anticipated gentle novella, “A Prayer for the Crown Shy” by Becky Chambers.
Nonfiction:
Explore Josephine Baker’s exploits and adventures as a spy in “Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy,” by Damien Lewis. Chrysta Bilton’s childhood was anything but conventional with her free-spirited mother, and then she discovered she had at least 35 siblings — including her boyfriend! Read all about it in “Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings.”
Kids and Teens:
Middle Grade readers will be drawn into the Yoruban-influenced fantasy adventure “Children of the Quicksands” by Efua Traoré. Teen readers will be spell-bound by the students trying to end a town curse in “The Witchery.”
Celebrate the Fourth of July with books about Independence Day, the people who made it possible, the symbols we use to celebrate, and thoughtful explorations of what it means to be American.
(tap image to view book list)
