KCPL

Give yourself the gift of a good book! Take a few moments (hours) with a favorite book or find a new book to love.     In an unnamed city, middle sister stands out for the wrong reasons. She reads while walking, for one. And she has been taking French night classes downtown. So when a local paramilitary known as the milkman begins pursuing her, she suddenly becomes interesting, the last thing she ever wanted to be.     This beloved novel, a #1 New York Times bestseller, will soon be a major motion picture starring Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston. For fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell comes this powerful novel with the most fearless heroine-self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson-from Julie Murphy, the acclaimed author of Side Effects May Vary. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine-Dumplin' is guaranteed to steal your heart.   The Rules of Blackheath Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Then let's begin...   The Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy may have concluded, but we haven't heard the last of our favorite einherji and his friends. The nine Norse worlds are rich with lore, as this collection of nine original stories, each told from a different character's point of view, will prove.   It's going to be an unexpectedly romantic Christmas at Bluebird Ranch. Brendan Waddell has always considered Bluebird Ranch a little piece of heaven: an idyllic ranch that pairs abused children with abused horses, run by one of [...]

Recently I sat down and talked with long time friend and first time fiction author Rick Ferguson about his experiences self-publishing his fantasy novel "The Screaming Skull".  If you are considering a foray into self-publishing his answers may help you find your way. Q: Why self-publish over sending the book out to publishers? A: For me, the choice to self-publish was a no-brainer. To go the "trad" publishing route would have required: six months to a year to find an agent (that's if you survive dozens of rejections); six months to a year for the agent to find a publisher (that's if you survive another several dozen rejections); and six months to a year before the publisher brought the book to market. That's an 18-month to three-year process to trad-publish versus four months to self-publish and get the book immediately into the hands of readers. In addition, the publisher would most likely have required multiple changes to the book, would have allowed me no control over the cover or blurb, and would have offered me a 15% royalty rate vs. the 70% royalty rate I enjoy through self-publishing. Trad publishers no longer market your book for you but expect you to market your book yourself--and they're unlikely to even give you that opportunity unless you already have an established audience via another platform. The only advantage left to trad-publishing is the opportunity to get your book into brick-and-mortar bookstores--where it would compete for shelf-space with already established authors. There are really only two disadvantages to self-publishing. One, you're attempting to stand out in a market flooded with inferior product. Trad-publishers serve the "gatekeeper" role to ensure only quality books get published; in the indie market, [...]

Adult Fiction -One Day in December by Josie Silver -A Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories by Bettye Collier-Thomas -The Noel Stranger by Richard Paul Evans -The Christmas Star by Donna VanLiere - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks - Mr. Miracle: a Christmas Novel by Debbie Macomber     Adult Nonfiction -Becoming by Michelle Obama -Ship of Fools: how a Selfish Ruling Class is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution by Tucker Carlson -Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat -Leadership: in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin -Big Game: the NFL in dangerous times by Mark Leibovich -In Pieces by Sally Field -Charles Dicken's a Christmas Carol: the classic novel with recipes for your holiday menu by Giada De Laurentis, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart & Trisha Yearwood -Ripley's Believe It or Not! Century of Strange   Children’s Suggestions -All Aboard! The Christmas Train by Nichole Mara and illustrated by Andrew Kolb -Construction Site on Christmas Night by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by A.G. Ford -Genius Lego Inventions with Bricks You Already Have by Sarah Dees -Harry Potter: A Pop-up Guide to Hogwarts by Matthew Reinhart and Kevin Wilson -Mary Poppins by P.L Travers and illustrated by Julia Sarda -The Very Hungry Caterpillar: 50th Anniversary Golden Edition by Eric Carle 5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!) by National Geographic Kids              

It’s November. Which means the air is cooler, holidays are here, and writers of all ages are rushing to create a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month, is an exciting, community-driven writing exercise that challenges participants to write a novel in the month of November. As the website says, “this is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.” NaNoWriMo started in 1999 and has steadily grown. It is now a non-profit company that supports young writers programs around the county and has published its own writing guide. Last year over 400,000 people participated in NaNoWriMo. I first heard about NaNoWriMo in 2008 and have written or attempted to write novels several times since then. It’s a great writing exercise and the official website offers community forums and pep talks from published authors to give you inspiration. There is an emphasis on just getting the story out and it takes away the pressure of trying to make your story perfect. This is a great way to get your creativity out and to challenge yourself to something new. If you are in need of more inspiration before beginning NaNoWriMo, check out these books to jump start your creativity: Lost for Words by Natalie Russell Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert   And these books to help make your writing better: Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner On Writing by Stephen King   Lisa Clark is a library associate at the Erlanger Branch where she runs the adult writers group.

It may only be November but the holidays are coming up! Are you starting to prepare? Did you know that you can use our makerspaces to help you get ready for the holidays? Whether it’s gifts, decorations or any sort of holiday craft – we’ve got you covered and can help you out! This week I decided to get crafty and try making a festive holiday card. Using the Silhouette Cameo (which is available at our Erlanger Branch), you can get creative with cutting out cardstock, paper, vinyl and more! I started by visiting a local craft store to pick up some holiday themed paper and embellishments/decorations. Then I made an appointment at the STREAM center in Erlanger. I learned that the Silhouette Cameo has little pens for calligraphy so I decided that I wanted it to write out “Happy Holidays.” I chose my font that I wanted, loaded the paper and it wrote it out for me in a couple of seconds. I’ve always admired beautiful calligraphy but am not talented enough to do it by hand! It is very nice that this machine can do it for you. My next step was to cut out a snowman shape, this also took just a couple of seconds. You pick out a design/shape on the software and tell it to start cutting! It’s as simple as that. Lastly I used the large paper cutter at the STREAM center to cut my paper into a card and then I put it all together. There are many examples on Pinterest or other crafting websites that can give you inspiration/ideas. The Silhouette Cameo is free to use as long as you bring your own paper. The Silhouette Cameo: [...]

With autumn and winter approaching, it's the perfect time to dig into true crime! Find the entire list of ebooks and audiobooks on Overdrive.   As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.   In this poignant and disturbing memoir of lost innocence, coercion, survival, and healing, Dianne Lake chronicles her years with Charles Manson, revealing for the first time how she became the youngest member of his Family and offering new insights into one of the twentieth century's most notorious criminals and life as one of his "girls."   Karen Abbott, the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and "pioneer of sizzle history" (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War.   The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true account of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry.   On a cold, drizzly fall afternoon in 1958, a trio of duck hunters stumbled on the charred remains of Cincinnati resident Louise Bergen. When investigators learned that her estranged husband was living with an older divorcée, Edythe Klumpp, they wasted no time in questioning her. When she failed a lie detector test, Edythe spilled out a confession.

September is Library Card Sign Up Month Show your Kenton County Public Library card to participating local businesses at the time of purchase, you can receive the following discounts or special offers.   Show the Library Card Flyer at Costco during the month of September and sign up for a membership to receive a special swag bag and a $10 or $20 Cash Card. Offer expires 9/30/2018. Florence location only. Call 859-568-7017 for more info.   Get $3 off general admission.  Must present library card when purchasing tickets at the ticket office. Not valid online. Offer valid 9/1/18 - 9/30/18. Learn more about the Newport Aquarium.   Show your library card during the month of September to receive a one-day free trial membership. May only be used once. Valid until 9/30/18. Call 859-426-7777 or visit www.silverlakefamily.com to learn more.  

The Story of the World's Most Famous Baby Hippo On a cold January day in 2017, nearly two months before due date, Nile hippopotamus Bibi gave her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden a big surprise: a tiny newborn hippo, no bigger than a football. The first premature hippo born and raised in captivity, baby Fiona was an underdog from the start: she couldn't nurse, she couldn't stay hydrated, and she wasn't thriving. But the staff at the zoo knew they could save her. They had to study the makeup of hippo milk for the first time ever and reach out to medical colleagues, including a team at the local children's hospital with superior vein-finding skills, to ensure that Fiona would begin to gain weight and become healthy. She soon became an internet sensation, her pictures and videos garnering thousands and thousands of likes and fans on Instagram and Facebook. Now a Fiona appearance at the Zoo mimics a Beatles concert. But what made this little hippo such a big hit all over the world? And what's in store for her and her family?