Fuel A Spark

Beginning of Summer in 2015 a Patron came into the Library and asked if we could start a Scrabble Club.  She stated that she belongs to one but they meet at odd times and half of the time she can't make it and wondered if we could have one close to home for her.  As we Librarians like to accommodate things for people we said sure. I had NO idea how much fun I would be having. I have always enjoyed the game Words with Friends but with the Scrabble Club you get to see the people you are beating (HAHA) and you get to have actual conversations with an actual human being.   We meet every third Thursday of the month at 9am and stay until people need to leave.  We do have a set time for it to end but sometimes you get so caught up with the game that time just doesn't matter anymore.  And I know I have stated beforehand that I am not an early riser but as long as there is coffee (and at this Library, we ALWAYS have the coffee percolating) I'm sort of function...

This year will mark our 21st Annual Celebration of the Christmas Trees. Celebration of the Christmas Trees is a fundraiser from the Friends of the Shelby Library where artists and crafters can decorate a tree with home made ornaments or decorate the tree however you would like.  When the trees are up and ready at the Library, the artists and crafters come over, decorate their tree and for Four days people can bid on the tree they want.  At the end of the fourth day whomever is the highest bidder wins the tree.  They get the tree, the ornaments and the lights.  And the money goes to the Friends of the Library who try to help the Library out with more shelving, books or even programs that the library needs to do. On Saturday and Sunday the Library is filled with music provided by the High School Choir and Band; while other local singers come and share their love of Christmas Carols. A fun and exciting time for family and friends to get together and join in the Ch...

Today we honor those who put their own lives at risk so that we can live in Freedom.  The Proud Men and Woman who enlisted in the Army, the Marines, the Navy or the Air Force or even the Coast Guard, chose to put their lives on the line so that any enemy, foreign and domestic that wants to do harm to our Nation will be stopped.  As they say:  "All gave some, Some gave All" and that is so true.  So many of our troops gave everything they had in them to fight the enemy, to secure our rights, and make sure that the People of America don't have to fight the enemy in their backyard and so many of our troops gave their lives for that right. It's not an easy thing we have asked our men and woman.  So many times we didn't even know who who our enemy was and who are friends were but those brave men and woman were able to put their intelligence together and fight as one to make sure that the People of America live in Freedom. It seems like at the beginning of time,...

Big Little Lies By: Liane Moriarty Lies generally serve a purpose. To save someone from harm. To make one look better to their peers. To get out of a jam. When we were children, we were always told to NEVER tell a lie. You would get into so much trouble if you told a lie as a child. I for one remember the punishments for lying. As you got a little older you found out there others have lied to you before...but it's okay. It was just a white lie...which to our understanding THAT lie was to save us from harm. Then we grew up. One lie after another. But it's okay. We are now adults, so we can tell big lies. We just tell the kids it's a white lie and that they shouldn't lie at all. (And we get away with it.) Well, sometimes we can get away with them. A group of parents are getting ready to take their kids to school. A few moms stick together like before; a few new mothers are in town needing guidance. First day of school can be hectic, but once you deal...

For some time now we have been following the "adventures" that Book Tasting has read.  As you can see we have read a variety of books that deal with a lot of issues that we must handle everyday.  Many of the times everyone is excited about the books that we have chosen.  Some not so excited!  But we can't please everyone even though we would like to. Choosing books for the Book Tasting has been a real challenge though.  Trying to pick a book that is engaging, makes you think, not "brain-candy" as someone put it one day, and that makes you think.  And everyone sees books differently then other people so how do I know that I picked the right one for the group?  How can I judge a book for other people, when everyone comes from different backgrounds and live different lives?  And what if I don't like the book, but the group does?  How do I continue with that?  These are just some of the questions that go through my mind daily when I am ...

A Man Called Ove By: Fredrik Backman Ove is a deceptively complex character. At first, he seems almost caricature-like in his crankiness. He wants things in order...if there is a sign that has rules on it, one should pay attention to it and follow it to the letter. He is set in his old ways and when those ways are changed by anything new, he gets upset...very upset. But as his history is skillfully revealed, layer by layer, it’s clear that he’s a lonely soul longing for connection. He’s an innately good person, and his peculiar outlook on life is often laugh-out-loud funny. But to him it's a way of life. One that should be followed by everyone. But there are things about Ove that will upset you. Well, they certainly upset me. When you delve more into his back story you see a whole other side of Ove that you just want to reach into the book and hug him. Of course, he would shrug you off the moment you try, but the feeling will always be there. The love and devotion t...

Please Look After Mom By: Kyung-sook Shin What is a Mother? A mother is there to protect her children. She is to make sure that they learn the fundamentals of life, but also know that she will protect them whenever they need. She will feed them; clothe them; kiss their boo-boos; and scare away monsters underneath the beds. That is why Mother's are here. To comfort the kids. But who is there for the Mothers? Yes there are the husbands, but more times than we can count, the husbands need looking after and that's another chore for the Mom's to do. Women have sort of picked up on that role many years back. Kids don't realize it till their Moms are getting older or have passed away and by then it's too late for them to take care of their Moms. So what happens when kids leave the house? How about the husband? Who will then take care of Mother? She's still a human being...she needs a shoulder to cry on once in a while too! Please look After Mom ...

One Plus One By: JoJo Moyes "Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best" That's easy for most people to say about their lives. For other's not so much. Jess is going through a lot of things at the moment. Her husband left with her raising two children (one of them is HIS not HER's), a pile of bills on the table and a crappy car that should have been sent to the junk pile a long time ago. Jess is trying to make ends meet but problems and situations keep piling on top of each other she doesn't know when to breathe. When her math-genius daughter gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a wonderful school Jess doesn't know whether to jump for joy that her daughter got accepted or cry because they don't have the funds for it. That is when she meets her knight in shining armor. Well, sort of. Ed has his own problems brewing ...

There's a Hole in my Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery By:  Portia Nelson There are so many people who will spend hours trying to read a book about self-discovery...trying to learn more about themselves and how to take control of their life. There are so many times the world will love to see you crash and burn and never rise up again. It is still unknown why the world does this but we humans learn to adapt and try and rise from the ashes like a phoenix and try to be stronger than before. But we need help, we need guidance and where do people turn to for that? Books. Books have always held the true knowledge one person needs to make it through this crummy hateful world. So they come into a library and check out every book about improving oneself and sometimes these books will go on for days talking about nothing, then something, then back to nothing at all. Most of the time you have no idea what you just read and feel even more down for you think you are too du...

"Dr. Seuss long ago passed from the scene but old manuscripts by the beloved children's author keep turning up. Random House Children's Books said Wednesday it will publish a recently discovered manuscript with Dr. Seuss sketches, called What Pet Should I Get?, on July 28. The publisher plans at least two more books based on materials found in 2013 by his widow, Audrey Geisel, and his secretary in the author's home in the ritzy seaside neighborhood of La Jolla in San Diego. The author, whose real name was Theodor "Ted" Seuss Geisel, died in 1991 at the age of 87. According to Random House, when Audrey Geisel was remodeling her home after his death, she found a box filled with pages of text and sketches and set it aside with some of her husband's other materials. It was rediscovered 22 years later, in the fall of 2013, by Audrey Geisel and Claudia Prescott — Ted Geisel's longtime secretary and friend — when they were cleaning out his offic...

The Boxcar Children By: Gertrude Chandler Warner 4 young children look in the windows of a bakery shop, hungry for bread. They would do anything for a piece of bread except to steal. They are hard working kids that value what they have. The store owner and his wife seems to take them in but late at night when the children overhear how the bakery owner and his wife were going to split them up and give the younger two away, the children leave....together. For they also value family. Family comes first and they will stay together forever. These are the Alden children. Even though they don't have a father nor a mother they learned that family is more important than anything. So when they decide to go off on their own to stay together they find a Boxcar stranded in the middle of the woods. As they turn that Boxcar into a nice home for themselves, the oldest finds work near by that will help pay for food. What he doesn't realize is that it will get them closer to the min...

Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015 Leonard Nimoy.....an amazing man that brought so much joy and fun in all our lives playing Spock in the Star Trek: Original Series and directing many movies such as Three Men and a Baby passed away early today.  He was 83 years old.  He did have some health problems namely chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  He is going to be greatly missed.  I know I am going to be going home and crying my eyes out and watching as many Star Trek episodes as I can see tonight in honor of this man.  Even though I have never met him, I consider him my friend for the everything he had shown us in Star Trek and in his Books I am Not Spock and I am Spock.  Anyone who loved Star Trek is going to feel their heart breaking today.  Going to miss you, you green blooded hobgoblin!!  Live Long and Prosper my friend. I Am Spock By: Leonard Nimoy

This Song Will Save Your Life By:  Leila Sales Elise is strange. She's different. She doesn't have any friends, her social life is non-existent and she is alone. A whole new year, a whole new classmates and Elise is going to be a whole new girl! She is going to be popular, she is going to be able to go on dates with guys, and she will never be alone ever again!!! That is until something happens that will make her feel even more alone than ever. She decides to do something that most teens her age do when life knocks them down. She cuts herself. Not only that, she calls someone that she thought might help but only makes things worse....well in her eyes anyway. Thinking Elise is done with trying to fit in, has accepted the fact that she has no talents what-so-ever, she does the one thing that most teens her age don't do.....accept it and try to breathe. So every night Elise will get out her house, plug in her iPod and walk all through her town. Alone...

As You Wish:  Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride By: Cary Elwes As children we are always retrieving information from our surroundings and sharing them with our loved ones. Whether it be from music, books or movies we are usually repeating what we hear. It's sometimes cute, and sometimes it could drive a person crazy!! When a family has more than one child, those lyrics and lines seem to repeat over and over throughout the years. In my family, my siblings and I share a handful of quotes from the same movie that has just inspired us all. This movie has "fencing, fighting, torture, giants, and true love" and the best lines ever created. The immortal words "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die" could be heard from all corners of our house. The Princess Bride is a classic tale of true love and adventure, an amazing movie that the whole world has seen and cherished. As You Wish is th...