Tag: Vivien Chien

Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast September Recap

- Brittany Leave a comment

In this blog post, I will give you helpful links to area resources, Library resources, and links to the books discussed in our September episode!

Sci-Fi Reads

In honor of Star Trek Day on September 8th, Stephanie shared a list of new and old Science Fiction reads. Below are the titles that were discussed in our episode!

New Sci-Fi Reads
   –The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Mieville
   –The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
   –Dragons of Eternity by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
   –The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
   –To Turn the Tide by S.M. Stirling
   –Storm Furies by Wen Spencer
   –Rebel by David Weber and Richard Fox
   –Overcaptain by L.E. Modesitt 

Old Sci-Fi Reads
   –Dune by Frank Herbert
   –1984 by George Orwell
   –The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
   –Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
   -Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
   –Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
   –The Time Machine by HG Wells
   –The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

Check Out Video Games from Davenport Public Library!

This month, Beth, Brittany, and Stephanie interviewed one of our newest Librarians, Elena! Elena is in charge of purchasing our video game collection! Did you know that you can check out video games from The Library for free?! We have video games for PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox1, Xbox 360, Xbox X games, Switch, Wii, DS, and 3DS! To learn more about our HUGE collection, we have a helpful Libguide for you! You can also place holds and check availability by visiting our online catalog!

Self-Improvement Month

September is self-improvement month and The Library is here to help with some of our newer resources! 

The Library now has LinkedIn Learning: Login with your library card number and password for your account to access 16,000+ expert-led courses presented in seven languages. Course subjects include: small business and entrepreneurship, web development, Microsoft Office, Google docs, photography, video editing, public speaking, sales, marketing, and many more. 

Have you been meaning to learn a new language or polish those sophomore year Spanish skills? Mango language has you covered! This language-learning resource offers instructional courses for over 70 languages. Begin to develop or build upon your listening and speaking skills in one or more foreign languages. Includes ESL (English as a Second Language) for over 20 languages. 

Self Help Books Helped or Tanked?

Beth, Brittany, and Stephanie ran through some Self-Help books that both helped their lives and some that completely tanked. Below are their favorites and least favorites in this category!

Beth
Helped:
   –The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
   –How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis
   –The Lazy Genius Podcast 
Tanked:
   –The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
   –The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusso

Stephanie
Helped:
   –Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth H. Blanchard
   –By the Book Podcast hosted by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer (Renamed: How To Be Fine Podcast)
Tanked:
   –Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out by Phil McGraw

Brittany
Helped:
   –Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Stephen R. Covey, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan,  & Al Switzler
   –Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth H. Blanchard
   –The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
Tanked:
   –Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

Celebrate Banned Books Week!

Every year, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from reports filed by library professionals and community members, as well as news stories published throughout the United States. Below are last year’s 10 Most Challenged Books:

  1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
  2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson 
  3. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson 
  4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 
  5. Flamer by Mike Curato 
  6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 
  7. TIE – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews 
  8. TIE – Tricks by Ellen Hopkins 
  9. Let’s Talk About it: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan 
  10. Sold by Patricia McCormick 

To read more about Banned Books Week visit the ALA Banned Books Page!

New Merch!

Exciting news! We now have an online Threadless Store featuring custom designs by our marketing coordinator Tessa! Order apparel to show off your love of our library! A portion of all sales goes to our FRIENDS who support our programming and other special projects! Take a look at a wide array of options from kids t-shirts, adult apparel, notebooks, and more! Visit our Threadless Store today to make a purchase!

What Our Hosts Read In August

Stephanie’s Reads:
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill
Peking Duck and Cover by Vivien Chien (book 10 in Noodle House Mystery series)
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (book 1 in the Assistant to the Villain series)
The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (book 1 in The Grandest Game series)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson 

Brittany’s Reads:
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bojalian Narrated by Erin Spencer, Grace Experience, and Mark Deakins
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
The Wedding People by Alison Espach Narrated by Helen Laser
The Break-up Pact by Emma Lord Narrated by Natalie Naudus
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney Illustrated by Anita Jeram
Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino Narrated by Helen Laser

Beth’s Reads:
Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable by Zain Asher
At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha

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.

Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast May Episode Breakdown

- Brittany Leave a comment

Each month, we release a new episode of Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast. In this blog post, I will give you helpful links to area resources, Library resources, and links to the books discussed in our episode!

AAPI Heritage Month Reads

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Below are some of our favorite titles written by AAPI authors!  

Learning and Literacy Collection

All three Davenport Public Library branches have a Learning & Literacy Collection. These collections contain materials that are not easily confined in either the adult, young adult, or juvenile collections. Patrons can find guidance on many topics that can be difficult to talk about such as abuse, death, mental health, sex education, as well as books about homeschooling, engaging reluctant readers, job searching, and so much more! Because the Learning & Literacy Collection covers such a rich array of topics, we have a helpful LibGuide to help those interested to better navigate the collection.

Mystery Reads with Merideth

Stephanie and Michelle met with Merideth, Technical Services Supervisor to discuss some of her favorite mysteries that she has read recently. Below are the titles if you would like to place a hold!

Tourist Appreciation Month

May 7th is National Tourism Day. Did you know that with your Davenport Public Library card, you can tour local institutions for free? Davenport Public Library as well as other RiverShare Libraries have community experience passes for various local sites available for checkout. Visit the Figge, Putnam, Quad City Botanical Center, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, German American Heritage Center, and Common Chord by checking out one of our passes! To learn more about what is available for checkout, click here!

If you are looking for something fun finding hidden gems throughout the Quad Cities, we recommend checking out 100 Things to do in the Quad Cities Before You Die by Jonathan Turner. Be sure to place a hold today and create the perfect QC bucket list!  

Older Americans Month Reads

To celebrate Older Americans Month, Brittany and Stephanie discussed some of their favorite reads showcasing characters belonging to the aging population. Below are a few of the titles discussed during our segment.

Brittany’s Titles:
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean
A Man Called Ove by Frederick Bachman

Stephanie’s Titles:
Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Britt-Marie was Here by Fredrik Backman 
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Turste 

Catch Us OWLT and About This Summer!

It is officially OWL season! For those of you unfamiliar with the Outreach Wheeled Library (OWL), it is a sprinter van equipped with carts full of books! The Community Outreach Team visits, parks, community events, and so much more throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall! If you see the OWL, be sure to stop by and say hello, check out items, get a Library Card, and leave with some Library swag and information!

To catch us OWLT and About, visit our calendar of events!

What Our Hosts Read In April

Michelle’s Reads:
Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien
Misfortune Cookie by Vivien Chien

Stephanie’s Reads:

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
She Kills Me: The True Stories of History’s Deadliest Women by Jennifer Wright, illustrations by Eva Bee
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn (First in the Mrs. Plansky series)
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
Parachute Kids by Betty Tang
Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano (Fourth in the Finlay Donovan series)
Murder Before Evensong by the Revered Richard Coles (First in the Canon Clement series)
Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal
Transitions: A Mother’s Journey by Elodie Durand
Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline (Second in the Marrow Thieves series) 

Brittany’s Reads:
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña (First in the Vega Family Love Stories Series)
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Long Game by Elena Armas (First in The Long Game Series)

 

Cozy Mystery Reads: Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chien

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Cozy mysteries have become one of my comfort reads in the last couple months. One of my favorite series that I have been reading is the Noodle Shop Mystery Series by Vivien Chien. Chien was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where she grew up in a mixed-race home. She first started writing adventure stories in elementary school. Her love of writing and books only increased in the coming years. She attempted her first novel when she was 16. Now she is the author of the Noodle Shop Mystery series, which has seven published novels and an eighth scheduled to be published in January 2022.

All of the Noodle Shop Mystery series books can be found at one of the Davenport Public Libraries. A complete list of the books in this series can be found at the end of this blog post.

The first book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series is Death by Dumpling. Lana Lee never thought that she would end up back working at her family’s restuarant, Ho-Lee Noodle House. After a bad break-up and a dramatic walk-out from her last job, Lana’s life is in tatters. Not sure what to do, she decides to head back home and start waitressing at the restaurant as a way to begin putting her life back together. The downside: her mother. She wants to find Lana a husband and has been hinting towards various men around Asia Village that they would be perfect for her.

All thoughts of finding Lana a husband are put on the back burner after Asia Village’s property manager is found dead in his office. The restaurant is in the hot seat after it becomes known that an order of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee is found next to the body. Mr. Feng had a severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy that everyone in Asia Village knew about, so the discovery of the shrimp dumplings causes major concern. The whole restaurant is under suspicion and that of course causes the local media to descend upon the plaza searching for clues. Lana must find a way to clear the family and their employees, and restore the restaurant’s name.

Noodle Shop Mystery series

  1. Death By Dumpling (2018)
  2. Dim Sum of All Fears (2018)
  3. Murder Lo Mein (2019)
  4. Wonton Terror (2019)
  5. Egg Drop Dead (2020)
  6. Killer Kung Pao (2020)
  7. Fatal Fried Rice (2021)
  8. Hot and Sour Suspects (2022)