All three Davenport Public Library locations are closed today and tomorrow in observance of Christmas, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not here for you! In addition to using our online digital resources while we’re closed, you can listen to Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast online. In this blog post, I will give you helpful links to area resources, Library resources, and links to the books discussed in our December episode!
Celebrate Humbug Day on December 21st
Humbug Day is a day to vent stress before Christmas by channeling your inner Ebenezer Scrooge. The hosts compiled a list of some of their favorite curmudgeons!
Beth’s Favorites:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Brittany’s Favorites:
The Long Game by Elena Armas
Bruce Series by Ryan T. Higgins
Crankenstein Series by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat
Goodnight Already by Jory John
Stephanie’s Favorites:
Assistant to the Villain & Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
The Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, which means The Library has access to more genealogy resources to help make more family discoveries. There are only a few hundred affiliate libraries in the country. This designation means our community has greater and more convenient access to the wealth of genealogical resources through FamilySearch. This popular web service has over 6 billion searchable names and 2 billion images of historical genealogical records, plus the helpful assistance of knowledgeable employees.
Festivus: An Airing of Grievances – 2024 Reads Edition
In honor of Festivus on December 23rd, Beth, Brittany, and Stephanie aired their grievances book style for a second year! Below are titles that frustrated them the most! Feel free to hate read with them in the coming year! Or, simply love them! We won’t judge!
Beth’s Grievances:
The Black Belt Librarian by Warren Graham
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield
So Much for That by Lionel Shriver
Brittany’s Grievances:
One Hundred Moments of Us by Jon Rance
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica
Stephanie’s Grievances:
The Aurora Teagarden Series by Charlaine Harris
Ancestry Library has over 1.2 billion records in over 3,000 databases. Ancestry Library is a must-have resource for anyone doing genealogical research. Ancestry Library is an in-house only resource, so you do need to be in one of our buildings to access the databases and records. Another thing to keep in mind is that Ancestry Library does not let you build your own family tree and save it. If you find a record that is important to you, you can email it to yourself.
The Gift of a Reading Recommendation!
To celebrate the holidays, your Checked In hosts exchanged the gift of a reading recommendation. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well while working together here at The Library, so we’re going to make personalized recommendations to each other! The titles are below!
Beth’s Recommendations:
To Stephanie: Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster
To Brittany: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Brittany’s Recommendations:
To Beth: The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
To Stephanie: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Stephanie’s Recommendations:
To Brittany: The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
To Beth: The Less People Know About Us by Axton Beth-Hamilton
Library patrons can get reading recommendations from library staff any time of the year! There are options for everyone to help discover your next great read!
Wintry Romances
Beth and Stephanie welcomed our amazing editor, Claire onto the pod to talk about favorite wintry romances! Below are the titles discussed in the segment.
Stephanie’s List:
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Beth’s List:
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Brittany’s List:
Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot
Claire’s List:
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
What Our Hosts Read In November
Beth’s Reads:
Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Stephanie’s Reads:
All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Therese Plummer
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Under the Oak Tree: The Comic adapted by namu, illustrated by P., and original story by Suji Kim
The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, narrated by Allison Hirato
Cover Story by Susan Rigetti, narrated by Carlotta Brentan
Sleep Like a Baby by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Therese Plummer
The Last to Pie by Misha Popp
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Hometown Betrayal: A Tragic Story of Secrecy and Sexual Abuse in Mormon Country by Emily Benedek
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, narrated by Emilia Fox
Brittany’s Reads:
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter, narrated by Angel Pean
Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot
If you would like to listen to our episode, it can be found wherever you get your podcasts. If you prefer listening on the web, it can be found here!
We love hearing from our listeners, please feel free to comment on this blog post, on our socials, or email us at checked.in@davenportlibrary.com.
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Have you been meaning to learn a new language or polish those sophomore year Spanish skills? 
Celebrate Banned Books Week!