November is National Novel Writers Month

 

National Novel Writers Month, or nanowrimo, is the month of November.

Here at JWL we would love to say we were going to have organized days for people to come and "write-in" together. Unfortunately we do not want to put anybody at risk with the pandemic. 

However! We do have a selection of resources at the library that you can check out. These resources can help any writer, not just those doing Nano. Make sure to check them out when you stop by.

We also have a Facebook group for those that would like to join there.  The group is simply to connect writers to each other. We encourage getting to know each other. We hope to be able to organize some writing activities in the group as well. We can always go for some writing sprints, right?

For more information about what NaNoWriMo is, visit their website www.nanowrimo.org 

You can join our writing group at JWL writing group

October Books Added

Non-Fiction

The Complete Psilocybin Identification Guide For Mushroom by Peter Smith, Ph.D - Mусоlоgу, оr thе ѕtudу аnd ѕсіеnсе of muѕhrооmѕ, іѕ a rеlаtіvеlу nеw fіеld. Thеrе аrе сurrеntlу over 10,000 knоwn muѕhrооm ѕресіеѕ, аnd роtеntіаllу hundreds оf thоuѕаndѕ thаt hаvе уеt tо bе dіѕсоvеrеd. Mаnу реорlе forage fоr muѕhrооmѕ for gоurmеt аnd mеdісіnаl rеаѕоnѕ, аnd аrе wеll аwаrе оf thе potential dаngеrѕ іn dоіng ѕо. Whаt аnу еxреrіеnсеd аnd ѕеnѕіblе muѕhrооm huntеr wіll tеll уоu іѕ thіѕ: “There аrе old muѕhrооm huntеrѕ and thеrе аrе bоld muѕhrооm huntеrѕ, but thеrе are nо оld аnd bоld muѕhrооm huntеrѕ”. Anоthеr common рhrаѕе wіthіn thе muѕhrооm-huntіng wоrld іѕ: “All muѕhrооmѕ аrе еdіblе, but some оnlу оnсе”.

Fiction

Aftermath by Terri Blackstock -  "Criminal attorney Jamie Powell will accept the consequences for defending her lifelong friend, Dustin, when he's accused of setting the bombs that killed dozens at a local political rally. But she hasn't seen him since he aged out of foster care, and he's always lived on the edge. Can she still trust him?"

Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

To the Bone, bk. 7 by Jeff Carson

Dire, bk. 8 by Jeff Carson

The Summer Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Elizabeth Chadwick - Young, golden-haired and blue-eyed Eleanor has everything to look forward to as the heiress to wealthy Aquitaine. But when her beloved father dies suddenly in the summer of 1137, her childhood is over. Forced to marry the young prince Louis of France, she barely adjusts before another death catapults them to being crowned King and Queen of France. Leaving everything behind, Eleanor must face the complex and vivacious French court.

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Alloy of Law (A Mistborn Novel) by Brandon Sanderson

Shadows of Self (A Mistborn Novel) by Brandon Sanderson

Bands of Mourning (A Mistborn Novel) by Brandon Sanderson

Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

Kelsier, Vin, Elend, Sazed, Spook, and the rest are now part of history or religion. Yet even as science and technology are reaching new heights, the old magics of Allomancy and Feruchemy continue to play a role in this reborn world. Out in the frontier lands known as the Roughs, they are crucial tools for the brave men and women attempting to establish order and justice.

The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

Finding Ashley by Danielle Steel

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace - The story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman whose childhood friend Messala betrays him. Accused of trying to murder the new Roman governor in Jerusalem, Judah is sentenced to the galley ships and vows to seek revenge against the Romans and Messala. But a chance encounter with a carpenter from Nazareth sets Judah on a different path. Rediscover the intrigue, romance, and tragedy in this thrilling adventure.

Banned Books Week

 This week libraries across the United States are recognizing "Banned Books Week".

Banned books week began in the 1980s after the Supreme Court ruled that school officials cannot ban books from libraries because of content in the Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) case. While this ruling has stood, there are still books that are challenged and banned. Even in the event of banned books, the majority are still widely available.

One might ask why a book would by challenged or banned. We do have freedom of speech , don't we? We do, but sometimes that freedom is challenged. This is why the American Libraries Association Office of Intellectual Freedom exists. On an individual basis there may be books that come into question on their content because of viewpoints and bias, with freedom of speech and intellectual freedom we must realize that everyone has a right to create content as well as the right to consume that content. 

There are many reasons that a book may be challenged. Often the reasons come down to viewpoint or changes in society. There are many books that are considered classics that have been put on the list because what was accepted when the book was written, is no longer accepted in society.  These topics are often religious point of view, racism, prejudice, violence, political point of view, language, sexual themes, and others.

Here at the Jennie Woodworth Library, our goal when we purchase books is to provide content for our community. We believe in intellectual freedom. Libraries are meant to be a place of knowledge and research with information from all points of view. We encourage our patrons and their families to use our online catalog to search for books they are interested in. We have added the subject "Banned and Challenged List" to the books we have that are on the lists. We know often when people are reminded about banned books that it peaks their curiosity.

You may view the entire Banned and Challenged Books List for 2020 here.