Evergreen is getting a new update that will improve some features for library staffs across the state. To implement these updates, Evergreen will go offline Friday-Sunday, Nov. 18-20. What does this outage mean for you? Well, there are a few important notes to know before Friday rolls around:
Everything should be up and running as normal Monday, Nov. 21. Call the library at (574) 457-3022 if you have any questions.
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By Sarah WrightGrab your crumpets because we're about to dive into century-old "tea" with "Queen Victoria and the Romanovs: Sixty Years of Mutual Distrust" by Coryne Hall. There's seldom more juicier tea than that belonging to royalty, and the pairing of the British royal family and the Romanovs makes for the best. Hall pulls extensively from diaries and letters from all parties, so it's almost as if these larger-than-life figures are speaking from beyond the grave to the reader. And oh the tea, these letters and diary entries spill from young love to scandal to illuminating inner thoughts (some quite petty) and startlingly accurate prophecies. I found "Queen Victoria and the Romanovs" to be a fast and intimate read. I was captivated by the historical what-if of the young Queen Victoria's romance with the future Tsar Alexander II, which seemingly ran hotter than what is portrayed in ITV's "Victoria" (SPL has this TV show available for checkout; I highly recommend it.) and caused Tsar Nicholas I to recall his son to Russia. Despite this earlier positive interaction, family dynamics and imperialistic ambitions would see Queen Victoria and the Romanovs at odds for most of her reign. Really this book has everything, including a good dose of humor. I personally loved learning that the future Tsar Nicholas II accidentally became locked in a bathroom at Balmoral Castle during a visit to Queen Victoria and his fiancée, the future Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. Alix had to rescue him. If you love royal history, this book is for you! SynopsisDespite their frequent visits to England, Queen Victoria never quite trusted the Romanovs. In her letters she referred to ‘horrid Russia’ and was adamant that she did not wish her granddaughters to marry into that barbaric country. ‘Russia I could not wish for any of you,’ she said. She distrusted Tsar Nicholas I but as a young woman she was bowled over by his son, the future Alexander II, although there could be no question of a marriage. Political questions loomed large and the Crimean War did nothing to improve relations. This distrust started with the story of the Queen’s ‘Aunt Julie’, Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and her disastrous Russian marriage. Starting with this marital catastrophe, Romanov expert Coryne Hall traces sixty years of family feuding that include outright war, inter-marriages, assassination, and the Great Game in Afghanistan, when Alexander III called Victoria ‘a pampered, sentimental, selfish old woman’. In the fateful year of 1894, Victoria must come to terms with the fact that her granddaughter has become Nicholas II’s wife, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Eventually, distrust of the German Kaiser brings Victoria and the Tsar closer together. AuthorSPL's communication specialist, Sarah loves all things history. Most of what she reads nowadays is nonfiction, with some of her favorite topics being the Great War (and other military history), Romanovs, Tudors, shipwrecks, and the '20s. The Syracuse Public Library recently purchased new digital materials for Libby/OverDrive! We know many of our patrons love reading on the go -- whether through e-books or audiobooks -- so we are always adding to the digital collection. Browse our new Libby materials list below! If there is a specific book or audiobook that you would like us to get that is not currently available on Libby/OverDrive, use our brand-new material request form to recommend it for a future purchase.
The Libby app and OverDrive (available in web browser) are free to Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library patrons and provide access to a wealth of digital materials, including e-books, audiobooks, and magazines. Just use your library card to get started!
We're changing up the "Escape From Oz" escape room going forward in November. Largely, we'll be updating the room's availability to make things easier for staff and would-be escapers. The escape room will now only be available while Young Adult Service Librarian Michelle Parker is available. She is the escape room's engineer and best suited to ensure it runs smoothly.
New hours will be:
We also encourage that you schedule your escape room experience by emailing Michelle, [email protected], or call and ask for her at (574) 457-3022. Take a ride this November with the YA Book Club's pick! “The Scorpio Races” by Maggie Stiefvater is the YA Book Club Pick for November.
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is thereturning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. Pick up copies at the library. Digital e-books and audiobooks are available on Libby. Hoopla also has the audiobook. Discussions occur from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, and from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, both in the Rosalyn Jones Room/YA space. Email Michelle, [email protected], or Amber, [email protected], with questions. Add mystery to your life this November and read the Adult Book Club's pick: "Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories" by Agatha Christie. This omnibus gathers all of Agatha Christie's short stories featuring her beloved, intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It's an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.
Discussions will occur at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, via Zoom and at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the downstairs meeting room. Books are available at SPL. Patrons can access digital e-books and audiobooks on the Libby app. Hoopla also has the e-book available. For information about the adult book club or to receive a Zoom invitation, contact Becky at [email protected]. Calling all teen artists! Submit your artwork for a chance to win prizes. Students in grades sixth through 12th can submit their artwork based on the theme, “All Together Now: Kindness, Unity, Friendship!,” to either the North Webster Community Public Library or Syracuse Public Library until Friday, Dec. 23, for a chance to win prizes of the following amounts: first place, $50; second place, $25; and third place, $15.
Submitted art will be displayed and judged by local artists at a community open house from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at the North Webster library, 110 E. North St., North Webster. All artists, family members and friends are invited to attend. The contest is open to any young adults from grades sixth through 12th. Contestants do not have to be library members. For more information, visit https://rb.gy/6mgek9. |
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