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Community Corner
Welcome to the Friends of PPLD's Community Corner where members, patrons and the people of the Pikes Peak region can have fun engaging in contests, sharing ideas and enjoying each other's online company. Feel free to share our Community Corner's activities with your family and friends. The more the merrier!
And please take a minute to scroll thru the slideshow. It showcases fun happenings at the various branches in the district!
If you would like to submit pictures from your branch, please send them to ppldfriend@gmail.com and don't forget to give us a couple sentences about the picture.
BFFS!
Branch Friends Forever!!!
And PPLD's Branch Friends are the best! Scroll thru to see what they are up to.
March is
National Read Month
In honor of our favorite past time, the Friends are hosting a Book Review Contest! Book lovers have emailed in the book that they are reading, or recently finished, and given us a review.
At the end of the month, the names of all the participants will be placed in a hat and a winner will be drawn. The winner will receive a $15 gift card to the Friends "better books" in their online store. To enter, click here!
Please read on below for the book reviews that we received. You may find your next book or two!
Oh! And next month is National Poetry Month and we are hosting a "Haiku Contest". The best part in the winner will be selected by Pikes Peak's very own Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius!! Watch for more details to come!!
02
Project Name
TITLE: Death at La Fenice
AUTHOR: Donna Leon
REVIEW: Starting in 1992, Donna Leon tells the exploits and adventures of a Venice police official- Commissario Guido Brunetti. A wonderful mystery in each story, coupled with a description of Venetian life and local highlights. A fascinating exploration of the area. Fun- and 20+ stories to follow for a wonderful series!
SUBMITTED BY: Mary Pat
TITLE: Remarkably Bright Creatures
AUTHOR: Shelby Van Pelt
REVIEW: Once you get past the "remarkably bright" octopus who forms a relationship with a very lonely woman (and the fact that many chapters are written in the voice of the octopus!) this is a very engaging and heartwarming story. A real feel-good book.
SUBMITTED BY: Wendy
TITLE: A Land Remembered
AUTHOR: Patrick D. Smith
REVIEW: I read this book initially reluctantly to make a friend happy. Boy, am I glad that I did! This is now one of my favorite all-time books. It takes you through a fictional (but still historically accurate) journey with three generations of Floridians beginning from the middle of the 1800's. It is an emotional read with endearing characters as the author brings you into their lives; the challenges, the trials, the joys and the loss that they all experience. It's a story of perseverance and the shaping of lives through experience. It's a story of staying humble and true to roots and value. I can't recommend it enough!
SUBMITTED BY: Meg
TITLE: The Stand
AUTHOR: Stephen King
REVIEW: I loved this book. It was a super interesting read, the cast of characters is amazing and enthralling. The read keeps you going until the very end.
SUBMITTED BY: Heather
TITLE: The Last Chairlift
AUTHOR: John Irving
REVIEW: This latest book from John Irving made me remember his great family sagas. So glad he's back - caused me to go find an old one of his I hadn't read, A Widow for One Year- another winner!
SUBMITTED BY: Sandra
TITLE: Oliver Twist
AUTHOR: Charles Dickens
REVIEW: Classic novel of one young boy's trials in19th Century England when left in the hands of manipulative and evil cast of characters.
SUBMITTED BY: David
TITLE: Jacqueline in Paris
AUTHOR: Ann Mah
REVIEW: Strong character development and wonderful descriptions that make you feel like you are experiencing Paris in the late 1940s right along with Jackie. Through her eyes you experience the exploration of historical events, growing up with a privileged lifestyle, and insight into the political world. It’s a journey of growth and discovery that anyone can easily slip into.
SUBMITTED BY: Morgan
TITLE: The Rescue
AUTHOR: Nicholas Sparks
REVIEW: Waaay too long to get from A to B. Yet another male character who spreads havoc his whole life, rather than seeking professional help, and then naturally is forgiven by the female who makes everything better. Puh-leeeze.
SUBMITTED BY: Cheryl
TITLE: The Art of Seduction
AUTHOR: Robert Greene
REVIEW: It is very eye opening, and a lot of what the book talks about makes sense!
SUBMITTED BY: Luz
TITLE: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
AUTHOR: Robert M Pirsig
REVIEW: It’s a new age Siddhartha.
SUBMITTED BY: Adam
TITLE: My Sister, The Serial Killer
AUTHOR: Oyinkan Braithwaite
REVIEW: This is a fantastic crime thriller! I’m saying this as a reader who rarely reads thrillers and as a bit of a scaredy cat I’m very particular. My Sister, the Serial Killer had me on the edge of my seat because as it turns out the title is on point (this is not a spoiler obviously just look at the title). Korede is in a moral quandary, not to be confused with what action she will take, about her sister Ayoola’s shall we call it a hobby. Korede’s upbringing in Nigeria demands she protect and care for her younger sister and she interprets this to include disposing of evidence. We never really know what happens during the encounters that result in Ayoola’s boyfriends high dead body count but Ayoola reels in Korede for help. To complicate matters the age-old phenomenon of people being blinded to a dark heart by external beauty such as Ayoola’s and under appreciating and overlooking internal beauty such as Korede’s is at work. Using a fluid writing style Braithwaite deftly plumbs themes of family, abuse, and women’s autonomy with vivid believable characters and twists and revelations tuned with perfect tension. Not only is this a thriller for people who don’t read thrillers I think it would appeal to thriller fans as well.
SUBMITTED BY: Beth
TITLE: Stolen Focus
AUTHOR: Johann Hari
REVIEW: A unique, practical accessible look at the difficult topic of where communication technology has landed us and why, how we got here, and reasonable (as opposed to hopeful) steps we can take as individuals as as a society to harness the good and ditch the bad.
SUBMITTED BY: Gail
TITLE: Mistborn
AUTHOR: Brandon Sanderson
REVIEW: Mistborn is a dystopian fantasy about standing up to power. There is a strong female protagonist and a unique magic system. The world building is subtly developed, and the plot is engaging.
SUBMITTED BY: Tonya
TITLE: The Quarry Girls
AUTHOR: Jess Lourey
REVIEW: Find this book. Read this book. You will not be disappointed. It’s a stunning coming of age novel.
SUBMITTED BY: Amanda
TITLE: The Nightingale
AUTHOR: Kristin Hannah
REVIEW: I lost track of how many times I cried reading this book. This book takes place in Nazi occupied France throughout World War II and follows two sisters. Isabelle begins the book as the problem little sister, she is very beautiful, but has a rebellious streak with everyone thinking she’s Selfish and foolish. She ends up, joining the French resistance, and being so brilliant and ends up saving lives with her bravery, her love story with Gaten broke my heart over and over, as well as her complicated relationships with her family and her time in the concentration camp. Vianne, the older sister, a mother and a wife who is a rule follower is dealing with her husband being like drafted I guess to the French army while she is stuck at home with her daughter Sophie in for small country town. She has her fair share of trauma as well. Being harassed, and forced to live with Germans soldier and then a Nazi who terrorized her, she’s able to overcome this, and save 19 Jewish children from death through her bravery. Strong women characters fill this book. The Nightingale broke my heart over and over and over. Most of the time I was reading through teary eyes. It was written so well and was so well researched. It really is heartbreaking to see the absolute worst of humanity, and the tragedies that happened during World War II. I hope people never forget what really happened, and how many lives were destroyed.
SUBMITTED BY: Alyssa
TITLE: What Happened to You
AUTHOR: Bruce D. Perry
REVIEW: Reading books that are giving phrases and meaning behind past trauma is life saving.
SUBMITTED BY: Danielle
TITLE: Nowhere for Very Long
AUTHOR: Brianna Madia
REVIEW: A young woman’s story about living in a van with her dogs. However, it is so much more than that! This is her story about the many decisions she made in figuring out about the life she wanted to lead. There is also the “aftermath” of her story she has conveyed to us on YouTube.
SUBMITTED BY: Jim
