I don't know everything, but...

1. I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next! Circus of the Damned is what you just finished? Great!   We’re looking for The Lunatic Café next. 2. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though. Can I recommend Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens?   It has a lot of emphasis on the south and scenery, but a fun storyline that keeps evolving.   The voice is very authentic.   3. I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there! I haven’t read a novel set in Japan, personally, but Shogun: A Novel...

Blackstock, T. (2016). If I run. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Goodreads. (n.d.). If I run.  Retrieved from  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26263487-if-i-run?from_search=true&qid=7hQuyywhNl&rank=1 Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J.G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.

I love books.  I love reading.  As far back as I can remember, I was slummin' it at the library and then staying up past my bedtime, reading with the limited light I had from the hallway. When I decided to major in English teaching, it was directly correlated to my love of books and the fact that it was a degree that I could travel down many avenues with. All that said, I had children and then went for interviews where I had to answer questions about the most recent thing that I'd read and I drew a complete blank.  Crap, only kid's books! Needless to say, my pleasure reading was SLIM during those early parenting years, but I've thankfully recovered and now get adequate time to read for me. I'm not a classy reader.  I don't love nonfiction.  I sometimes have to make myself read classic literature.  I hate Nicholas Sparks (haven't read him, but refuse to read anyone that promises a good cry.  I don't need that).  Amish fiction puts me to sleep, bu...

Hi, I'm Shannon. I'm an under 40 year old woman who runs a small, rural library in West-central Indiana. I have a bachelor's degree in English teaching from Indiana State University.  I ran a Sylvan Learning Center for several years, I've taught Junior English, 7th and 8th grade English, and high school yearbook.  I took a hiatus from teaching in 2008 when my 2nd child was born and was soon approached about an opening at my hometown library.  Their current director was retiring and they needed someone with my level of education, so I opted in and have been the library director at the Kingman-Millcreek Public Library since 2011.  It isn't at all what I thought my career would look like, but it's been a great fit!  It allows me to spend all kinds of time with the parts of the English language I love, but few of the bratty kids.  It lets me design programs and activities that benefit my children and community and the schedule is amazing! Personally, I'm a gi...