I was saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Broadway legend Carol Channing. As a lover of live theater, she was one of the major stars that informed my education.

You’ve seen enough “Best Of” lists for 2018 by now, so the Randall Oaks staff thought we’d just share some of our favorites, whether they're critically lauded or not. Here’s a sampling of books and movies that came out last year that we enjoyed for various reasons- they made us think, they made us cry, they were just plain fun, etc.

Sam B.

Books:

Have you signed up for the inaugural Winter Reading Challenge yet? If it doesn't sound familiar, take a look at Elizabeth's blog here for more details. Registration opened up on Sunday, December 9,  and there are different challenges for youth, teens, and adults. A couple of the challenges on the adult list are to "check out a cookbook and try out a new recipe" and "read a winter themed book". If you're looking for inspiration in those categories, I've compiled some suggestions that fit the bill below.

November 1 begins National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. If you’re not familiar, participants strive to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month. If you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, this November is the perfect time to get motivated to do so! Both Dundee and Randall Oaks have computers you can use for writing your manuscript and desks with charging stations if you bring in your own laptop. Check out the official NoNoWriMo website here for more details.  

Now that we’re finally into October, it’s culturally acceptable for me to fully exhibit my undying love for all things Halloween, which includes gorging myself on scary books and movies (I’ve already got my plans set to see the Halloween sequel later this month). Even if you’re not the type who watches horror movies all year long, leading up to Halloween is the perfect time to curl up in the dark and spook yourself with some creepy films.

We had a fantastic inaugural session of Civic Conversations at the beginning of September in which we discussed U.S. foreign policy. The October 2 session will focus on the "November Election: a balanced review of candidates for Governor, U.S. Representative, and local offices." If you've been wanting to learn more about candidates before hitting the polls in November, this is the perfect opportunity to do so.   While no homework is required to attend these sessions, if you’re interested in some general information on voting and midterm elections, take a look at some of the books below.

Civic Conversations is a new monthly conversation group at the Dundee Library. All are welcome to meet with others from our library district and participate in a respectful conversation about current issues and events. Popular discussion leader Gary Midkiff will facilitate these sessions on the first Tuesday of the month from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

After consuming many chocolate frogs and copious amounts of butterbeer, the Adult and Teen Services Harry Potter week came to an end this weekend. Thanks to everyone who came out to these programs and made them so successful! We hope you all had as much fun at our events as we did, and keep an eye out for the fall newsletter (coming soon) for more themed events. 

We're still going strong with the Summer Reading Challenge, so if you're looking for new things to pick up to finish out your reading log, take a look at some of the recommendations by your fellow patrons. These suggestions come from the Recommended Read cards. If you haven't seen these cards yet, it's not too late to grab some from the Information Desk and fill them out. On the cards, simply let us know what you’re reading and why you would/would not recommend it. You can drop these off at the Information Desk and we draw winners every week for additional Summer Reading prizes.

Looking for something good to read? If you’ve signed up for Summer Reading you’ve probably seen the Recommended Read postcards (if you haven’t, it’s not too late to sign up or start filling out cards!). On the cards, simply let us know what you’re reading and why you would/would not recommend it. You can drop these off at the Information Desk and we draw winners every week for additional Summer Reading prizes. You’re reading anyway; why not try to win? Here’s a sampling of the book suggestions and comments your fellow readers have submitted in the first few weeks.