Read On! Audiobooks

We’ve officially kicked off our Summer Reading Program with the 36th Annual Turtle Race, which was a lot of fun. Congratulations to all the winners!

This week, we’re hosting storyteller Robert Lewis for both our adult event (tonight at 7 pm) and our children’s event (tomorrow at 10 am and 2 pm). Robert Lewis is one of our favorite presenters to have at the library. He is engaging, informative, and entertaining. It’s the perfect trifecta! The Cherokee Nation is offering an amazing gift to our community through Robert Lewis and his stories.

Have you picked up your Summer Reading Program supplies yet? It’s not too late! We’ve got something for everyone!

If you’re searching for time to read for yourself or to your kids, I heartily recommend audiobooks. In my family, audiobooks are a staple in the car. For us, they’re a quick way to get a few minutes of reading in while we’re driving around town.

This summer, we’re listening to more kids’ audiobooks (downloaded to my phone from Overdrive) than anything because my son is trying to fill up his Kids’ Reading Record Sheet. Audiobooks, while without some of the mechanics of visual reading, offer the same experiences and hone similar skills. From reading comprehension to language development, audiobooks are a bonafide form of reading (and are perfect to use toward Summer Reading Program time goals). Plus, the whole family can enjoy and discuss the same book at the same time. It’s like a mini book club!

We have a nice selection of audiobooks on CD at the library and an even larger selection of downloadable audiobooks via Overdrive. Head to our website (www.pryorlibrary.org) to search our online catalog for audiobooks – both physical and downloadable. And, as always, if you need some recommendations, we’d love to help with that too!

Read On! Check your Library account online

When we upgraded our library software in December, our online library catalog gained some neat features. There’s too much for one column, so I’ll focus on the “My Account” features.

When you sign in to your account using your library card number and your last name, you can access the “My Account” area. The default tab is “Account Info” which shows you the contact information we have on record for you, any fines you owe, and how much money you’ve saved this year by using your library.

The “Notifications” tab lets you decide how you want the library to contact you. In addition to a phone call or email, we can text you. And you can text us back! The text-back feature includes the ability to renew books.

The third tab, “Items Out/Renewals” shows you what items you have checked out and gives you the ability to renew your items online.

If you’re looking for an item the library doesn’t own, the “Reserves/Requests” will be your favorite tab. Using the options here, you can request that we purchase an item for the library’s collection (and put you on hold for it) or seek the item from another library through our Inter-Library Loan (ILL).

I use the “Bookmarks” tab as a kind of wish list. I bookmark items I’m interested in, then when I’m ready to find books at the library I use this tab to quickly find what’s checked in.

The last tab is your “History” where you can find what you’ve checked out. This is handy if you want to keep track of what you read, if you forget where you left off on a series, or if you just like lists. You have the ability to opt out of this feature, if you wish.  

If you have questions about the features in our catalog, please let us know. To get to the catalog, go to pryorlibrary.org, then click on the “Use the Library” tab, then the “Search the Library” link. 

The Reader by Traci Chee

 

“The Reader” by Traci Chee is set in an illiterate world full of islands and dangerous seas. Told through intertwining narratives, THIS story centers around Sefia, a young woman running with her aunt Nin from an unknown and terrifying assassin. This assassin is responsible for the brutal killing of Sefia’s father. Among her limited possessions, Sefia is carrying a rectangular object – a BOOK – with a mysterious insignia on the cover. When Nin is captured by the assassin, Sefia vows to follow and rescue Nin. To do this, Sefia HAS to refine her survival skills and begins using the book to teach herself to read. Along her journey, Sefia rescues a stranger being held captive in a box displaying the same insignia as her book. This stranger, who has SECRETS of his own, resolves to help Sefia find her aunt and take revenge on the assassin.

“The Reader” offers a unique reading experience. Not only is the plot compelling, the mysteries within the text make you question whether the titular reader is Sefia or the person holding Sefia’s story. I advise those who follow Sefia on her journey to do so with a notebook and to heed the advice of the preface: “Look Closer.” This book has secrets.

I chose “The Reader” as our first discussion book for the newly created Books & Brews Club. We meet the first Saturday of every month at Fat Toad Brewing from 1 – 3 pm. The first hour of our meeting is devoted to socializing and whatnot. The second hour is devoted to book and other discussions. This is a very relaxed book club in a very relaxed setting. No purchase is necessary to participate in our meetings, but you do have to be 21 or older to attend. We will discuss “The Reader” at our April 7th meeting. You can check out “The Reader” at the library or buy it at The Book Exchange.