All I can say is, “Wow!”  As a consistent reader of young adult fiction I can honestly say I have never read a book as powerful as “If I Stay,” by Gayle Forman.

It raises the question: Do we really have the option to decide if we live or die? How do we even begin to make that decision?  I’m not sure that I am capable of doing that now as an adult, much less back in my teenage years.  As you read this book, you follow along with Mia as she relives her life and ponders the question of what decision she should she make. Her family is in shambles and her body is broken.  What questions would you ask yourself?

At the beginning, Mia is a typical 17-year-old girl with a love for music – specifically the cello. She loves to play and practices often. But life turns upside down when she and her family are in a car accident. Mia stands outside her own body, watching the wreckage. She realizes her parents are dead as she watches the paramedics care for her and her brother, Teddy. It takes her a few minutes to realize that she isn’t dead – just in a coma.  That leaves her with one decision to make: should she stay and continue living or should she allow herself to pass on?

I love discovering books that take my breath away. I love to feel like I am part of the story, and can’t wait to see what happens next. This book grabbed me from page one and never let go. I became part of their family and experienced the same losses. I laughed with them, cried with them, and felt as if I mourned right along with them.  That, for me, represents all the elements of an amazing book.

Gayle Forman is the author of four young adult books and one non-fiction book.  She got her start writing articles for Seventeen Magazine. Later, she became a freelance journalist for magazines like Details, Jane, Glamour, The Nation, Elle, Budget Travel, and Cosmopolitan.

Copies of “If I Stay” are available at Boyd County Public Library, along with a large selection of other young adult novels and authors. You can check it out and reserve a copy online – just click here. 

Before I Go to Sleep is the first novel by British author S.J. Watson. I recently read it as part of the Novel-Tea Book Club (which meets at the Main Branch of Boyd County Public Library on the 4^th Monday of each month at 1 p.m.) The book is billed as a psychological thriller. Since that’s not what I typically enjoy reading, I put it off until the last possible minute. In fact, on the day of the book club meeting, I had to admit to the group that I had not finished the book.  I had struggled to even get to where I was: It seemed exceptionally repetitive to me.  I spent a lot of time flipping pages because I kept feeling like I had read that part before.

The story goes like this:  Christine Lucas has a type of amnesia that makes her unable to remember anything after she goes to sleep at night.  Every morning she wakes up in strange bed, next to a man, who tells her they have been married for 22 years.  Each new day, she wakes to the terror that her body is years older than it should be and she has no memory of how she came to be where she is.  “Usually I can remember how I get into situations like this, but not today,” Christine says. “There must have been a party, or a trip to a bar or a club. I must have been pretty wasted. Wasted enough that I don’t remember anything at all. Wasted enough to have gone home with a man with a wedding ring and hairs on his back.” Every day, her husband has to tell her the story of how she came to lose her memory and every day, Christine doubts what he tells her.

One day when Christine wakes up, her phone rings, and a Dr. Nash tells her to look in the closet for her journal.  She does, and the story unfolds.  Christine’s story is told through the journal that she writes in every day and reads every morning after the doctor calls. This is the only way she is able to start piecing together her past. The only problem is that what is written in the journal is based on what her husband and the doctor have told her. This only leads to more questions about the past and fuels Christine’s passion to remember.

After the book club meeting, I was determined, and excited to sort through the repetition to get to the end of the book. The ladies in my club assured me that it was in the repetition that I should have found clues that kept me going. At the first opportunity, I picked up the book and did not/could not put it down until I had finished.

S.J. Watson crafted an intriguing story.  Of course there had to be repetition. The main character cannot remember anything about her life when she wakes up every day. She has to be told, over and over again. The novel is crafted in such a way that this reader, and many in my book club, had no choice but to question Christine’s memories and the motives of those in Christine’s life. Can she trust her husband, Ben? Are Dr. Nash’s intentions for helping Christine legitimate? What really happened to Christine? The novel turned out to be wild ride and had me, once again, flipping pages. This time, it was not to skip the repetition but to find out what happened next!

Lover at Last features the burgeoning love story between Quinn and Blay.  This is a first for Ward as she has not previously delved into the intricacies of same-sex relationships.

Like all the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, there are some rather steamy intimate scenes as well as lots of Lesser fighting and action-movie style scenes.

If you haven’t read the other books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I suggest you start at the beginning with Dark Lover and work your way through before tackling Lover at Last or you might miss some of the relationships behind the Brotherhood and their shellans (wives).

Again the series is rather steamy! But if you like vampires, paranormal romances and some of good ole butt-kicking action, you’ll love the series!

Everyone likes getting something for free, right? How about free music to enjoy on your computer, smartphone or mobile device? Boyd County Public Library can give you that.

One of our newer offerings, Freegal Music, lets you download free music – up to three songs a week – and the music is yours to keep. No need to worry about due dates or late fees. Hot artists like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Kenny Chesney and Adele are just a few of the millions of offerings on Freegal.

Maybe you’re looking for soothing tunes to help you relax, or something upbeat to keep you moving while you’re exercising. Or, perhaps you like pulling down the shades and cranking up the volume (Spandex optional here), to jam to your favorite rock tunes on your air guitar! You know what you like, and Freegal has it; their current song count in the U.S. is 2.7 million songs, in more than 220 genres. And it’s constantly growing.

But wait, there’s more! Freegal 4.0 with Freegal Plus is coming soon – bringing you exciting new features. The 4.0 upgrade means 5 million new song titles and free music video downloads from the largest music video catalog in the world, all for free.

Freegal Music predicts by the end of 2013 they will have 7.5 million songs from 28,000 labels originating from almost 100 countries. That will virtually guarantee that everyone can find something to experience and enjoy.

Freegal Plus will give you three hours of music streaming each day. You can listen from a pre-selected playlist or from a personal playlist you create, with the titles you want to hear. The streaming music option not only gives you access to tons of music each week but it also gives you the opportunity to discover new titles and genres, listen to the entire song and decide if it is worthy of one of your three weekly downloads.

So, now that you know about Freegal Music, how do you get it? It’s incredibly easy. All you need is a BCPL card and your 4-digit PIN (the one you selected when you got your card). Go to www.thebookplace.org, and click on the Databases tab. In the drop-down menu, select the eBooks category to locate Freegal Music. From there, it’s self-explanatory.

The Freegal Music app let you access this service with your smartphone or mobile device. Simply download the app to your wireless device, open it, enter your zip code, select Boyd County Public Library, enter your library card number and PIN and start enjoying your free music instantly. If you have any questions or need assistance with accessing this or any other library services, just ask at any or our public service desks, or call (606) 329-0090.

This is a fun and easy program to do … just pick up a copy of that month’s short literary selections at Kyova, or read them online, using the links posted here. At the program, join in a brief discussion of each selection, and then enjoy some sweets. We promise to wrap it up within an hour.

We call it a quick taste of literature for busy people.  New participants are always welcome!

The selections for May 9 are:

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut

http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html

“Old Timer” by Mike Krath

http://www.short-stories.co.uk/

Such a short sweep of time; such an enormous sweep of change.

When I came to work at the library very few people had computers in their homes or any real contact with computers. These days I listen to grandmothers on devices they carry in their pocket talking to a grandchild and watching a live feed of that grandchild’s birthday party being held halfway around the world. Broadcast television, which once seemed to be an irreplaceable medium for entertainment, has been replaced in some homes with shows watched on the network’s website or through computer-based subscription services.

Twenty years ago I came to work full-time at the library and asked to be put in charge of the computers as an addition to my work in the reference department. The library’s enormous collection of computing resources consisted of three standalone single purpose computers for the public. Just as the public’s relationship with computers has grown, so has the library’s. We’re now talking about more than 100 computers for public and staff; a dozen servers; gigabit connections between all four branches; phones that run over a computer network; a library catalog you can use to put library resources on hold from anywhere in the world; and digital books, audio and video available for download to smartphones, tablets, and home computers.

As these changes have taken place, Boyd County Public Library has always worked to make the best use of its resources to meet the needs of its patrons, and we continue to do so by staying aware of changes in the field of technology as it applies to libraries. We’ve also tried to control the costs of maintaining and replacing public computers on a regular basis while trying to keep sufficient computers available for public use.

An experiment we’re trying in our newly remodeled Catlettsburg Branch, to manage costs while still providing dependable computing access for the public, is the installation of a zero client computer network. Zero client computing involves not putting an electricity-guzzling computer at each station. Instead we’ll install a computing server and just place a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and a small electricity-sipping box the size of a paperback book with no moving parts at each station.

The small box (zero client) will transfer all the keyboard and mouse input back to the server for processing and then display the processed information at the station – just as if the patron was sitting at the computer. This green initiative will also let us keep the computers more up-to-date with things like the latest versions of Adobe Reader. If the operating system does need to be updated, it’s simply done on the server and all the zero clients are instantly updated.

I was watching an interview a few years back with someone who’d worked on one of the first computing projects for the U.S. government who was asked to tell something about this first amazing breakthrough in computers. His reply, which may have been a bit exaggerated, was that what had been the size of a house and all its computing power could now be put into a watch and given away with the purchase of a box of cereal.

Times change, our lives change, and libraries continue to change.

Like many good red-blooded rednecks, I am a huge fan of the show Duck Dynasty produced by A&E.  Being such a prodigious fan, I was leery to read the book Duck Commander Family in case some illusion I harbored was shattered.  Because, let’s face it, television – especially reality television – is all about entertainment.  The television show focuses on the men of Duck Commander – Phil, Willie, Jase, Si and (to a lesser extent) Jep Robertson.  The book, written by both Willie and his wife Korrie, gives a more insightful look at the whole family. 

Willie and Korrie write respectively of their families’ history and struggles.  Willie comes from redneck blood through and through, but you might be surprised to learn that Phil (Willie’s father and the founder of Duck Commander) holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in English Literature and once taught high school English.  He was also once a candidate for the NFL but preferred focusing on his hunting.  Willie tells a sometimes dark tale of how his father spiraled downward, struggling with alcoholism and how his mother Kay took care of the three oldest boys on her own.  Korrie’s family is more “yuppie” as Phil would say, focusing on business and growing their family fortunes through various enterprises (including a forerunner of warehouse stores which were eventually bought by Sam Walton).   The family also founded Howard Publishing, later purchased by Simon and Schuster, who incidentally published this book (nothing like keeping it in the family!)  Throughout the book you get a more globalized picture of the entire Robertson family – both male and female – and how they have come to be the people they are today.  Especially central is their deep Christian faith and how it plays a role in their everyday lives and in the business.

The book was a surprisingly enjoyable read.  While not overly preachy or self-centered, it gives a great view of more minimalized characters on the show and shows how each Robertson is an integral part of the family, business and faith.  Especially interesting to learn about are Phil and Kay’s grandchildren – which play very small parts on the show but are a large part of the family’s life.  While the writing is not Shakespeare, it is well constructed and easy to follow.  Korrie and Willie’s voices are very distinct and both have pleasant, homey writing styles.  I actually preferred Willie’s segments of the books, probably because I have more investment in him from watching the show, but I enjoyed the whole book.  I’m also looking forward to reading Phil’s book Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander (May 2013).

Read Duck Commander Family and watch Duck Dynasty – all available at Boyd County Public Library. You can find it in our catalog, and place a hold

Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family and Ducks Built a Dynasty. Willie & Korie Robertson. New York: Howard Books, 2012. 261 pp.

Let me start by stating that I’m not a fan of the current, slightly over done, genre of vampire-themed literature.  

For those not familiar, these books are generally written for a young adult audience, high school to early 20’s, and often revolve around an introspective, angst-ridden teen protagonist, usually female, who in addition to the everyday teenage concerns  of “Am I pretty enough?”, “Why doesn’t anyone understand me?”, “Am I cool enough?”, “ Will my crush ever notice me?”, suddenly finds herself faced with a whole new set of other-worldly worries: “Am I pretty enough?, “Why doesn’t anyone understand me?”,  “Am I cool enough?”,” Will my crush ever notice me and, if he does, should I eat him?”

The cover art even looks alike, usually featuring a waif-like young woman in an ethereal, slightly tattered evening gown looking soulfully out of the picture from an overgrown graveyard or rocky beach, perhaps surrounded by a photo-shopped swirl of smoky color.

So you can imagine how a book called “Real Vampires Have Curves,” showing a rather voluptuous women glancing saucily over her shoulder while folding clothes, caught my attention.

I started reading it then and there, and had it finished by the next day. After that the search was on to find more! Fortunately, the book I had stumbled across was the first in a series by author Gerry Bartlett that featured the ongoing adventures of vampire Glory St. Claire, who had the misfortune to being turned when she “just happened to be bloating”.

Glory is forced to navigate eternity as a plus size vampire when nearly all of the rest of the un-dead are pale, skinny, and brooding.

Along the way she finds herself dealing with demonic possession, obsessed stalkers, billionaire techno-freak vampire hunters, over-protective werewolves  and one super-hot Scottish vampire who just happens to be her on again/off again boyfriend, all while trying to run her trendy vintage clothing store.

Through all these outrageous happenings Glory reacts with wit, humor and a surprisingly real-woman attitude that often has me giggling out loud! There are nine books in this series so far, all with quirky “Real Vampire…” titles. “Real Vampires Don’t Diet” and “Real Vampires Hate Skinny Jeans” are two of my favorites.

You can find more information about both the books and the author at: www.gerrybartlett.com. And, as always, you can check out these books and so many more at Boyd County Public Library. Just go to our catalog and place a hold on an item.

P.S. As an interesting aside, while poking around the author’s website I found out that “Real Vampires Have Curves” has recently been translated for publication in Germany. Translated the title is: “Echte Vampire Haben Kurven”, which for some reason I just LOVE! The cover art for the German version is new, and worth taking a look at … I just may like it even more the original cover!