Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween...and Welcome!

What a wonderful night in our neighborhood! Candy at so many doors...folks grilling out and gathering around campfires...lots of kiddos (and their families) in costumes. We loved every minute of it...especially since it was our first Halloween in our new home.

And books! Don't forget the books!

Our front steps were stacked with Halloween books for trick-r-treaters of all ages...and they were absolutely as popular as the candy! It was fun to see kids so excited about books.

It was also fun to introduce new folks to the Little Free Library of Justice. I hope this means we'll see plenty of traffic...and lots of new patrons!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by tonight...it was wonderful to meet you! And we hope to see you again soon!


Saturday, October 27, 2012

JUST ADDED: Halloween books!

The Library of Justice is HAUNTED! From R.L. Stein to Frankenstein: new books were just conjured up to get you into the supernatural spirit for Halloween. We've got books for all age groups:

Little Kids:

  • Curious George Goes to a Costume Party
  • Max & Ruby: Happy Halloween
  • Toy Story Step Into Reading: A Spooky Adventure (level 2)
  • Scooby-Doo Readers: The Haunted Halloween Party (level 2)

Older Kids:

Goosebumps! by R. L. Stine:
  • The Barking Ghost
  • Say Cheese And Die!
  • Vampire Breath
  • A Shocker on Shock Street
  • Don't Go to Sleep

  • Nine Witch Tales by Abby Kedabra 
  • The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

Young Adults & Grown-ups:

 Bram Stoker's DRACULA! A graphic novel version as well!

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a junior reader version, and a graphic novel!


The Frankenstein junior reader is part of a series that includes:
  •  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stephenson
  • The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

More scary stories to come!





Tuesday, October 23, 2012

New Iron Man trailer and a new foe: THE MANDARIN!

Have you seen the new trailer for Iron Man 3? Here it is if you've not seen it:



So the word is that the new main villain this time around is The Mandarin played by Sir Ben Kingsley.

Our surprise for today is the just stocked first volume of Essential Iron Man which includes The Mandarin's first appearance in comics (Strange Tales #50 February, 1964) in glorious black and white ink.

Color cover and rated "E" for everyone!
The Mandarin as he was first depicted.

Come and check it out! We've got this and more comics anthologies on the way!

Oh, and what did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Book Review: Merit Badges by Kevin Fenton

TITLE: Merit Badges
(Currently available in the Library of Justice!! As of 10/21/12!

AUTHOR: Kevin Fenton

STARS: ***** (5)

SUMMARY:
From Goodreads:

"Follow four friends as they move from The Brady Bunch to Seinfeld, from junior high to middle management. There is Quint, whose rebellion frays into self-destruction; Slow, who struggles to become the world's first teenage father figure; Chimes, who fears losing his friends while picking up a 7-10 split; and Barb who escapes the conformity of Minnisapa only to find herself returning by dark of night. You will feel as if you've always lived in Minnisapa, Minnesota. And you will never underestimate nice kids from the Midwest again."


REVIEW:
Kevin Fenton is a St. Paul author...and his novel takes place in fictional "Minnisapa, Minnesota." The book follows a group of friends through their lives, with each chapter telling the experiences of one of the characters, moving forward in time chronologically. By the time you get back around to a particular character, time has passed...and you have to suss out how their lives have changed in the interim.

I appreciated how the book wasn't exactly linear...that by the time the story returned to a character, he or she had grown and struggled...had experienced a whole host of life events...had moved on or hadn't. As the book (and the characters lives) progressed, you could really feel the cumulative nature of life...how events shape us as life plows on with or without us.

The characters in the book reminded me of people I've known, and I found myself thinking "I wonder if that is what so-and-so's life felt like?" It's a book that made me feel tied to the characters very quickly, and I could never put the book down for long, because I wanted to know how everyone's life turned out. It was a wonderful blend of promise and heartache...and our ability to move forward with purpose or languish in familiarity.

Overall, a funny, touching, soulful examination of the lives of a group of friends. Particularly fun to read because of the local setting and tone. A quick read...a good book for those times when you're looking for a new read but aren't quite ready to settle down with a huge story.

I do believe you'll enjoy Merit Badges!

Catch up on your heroes with BIG anthologies!


Has a been a while since you've cracked open a comic book? Maybe you're just looking for a refresher on an old favorite--or want to get the low down on a Marvel or DC character you've always wanted to know more about. Maybe you're totally new to comics.

You're in luck. 

You can digest dozens of stories thanks to the thick, black and white comics anthologies published by Marvel and DC. What they lack in color, they make up in spinning good 'ol yarns about your favorite superheroes from the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern eras of comic book publishing. They're printed on salt-of-the-Earth, pulp paper and show off the beautiful--and oft forgotten--ink work rendered before they were colored.

Both Marvel and DC have put out volume after volume on an array of characters, super teams, and special titles--well-known and not-so-well known. A few in my personal collection include The Avengers, Ant-Man, and Marvel's take on Conan the Barbarian (among some of the best comics every written!).


A few weekends ago, I was a willing participant in that great, nerdly swirl of comic geeks held every autumn at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds--FallCon. The "one day wonder" is a great place to get a good deal on comics--and especially those compiled in trade paperback form. That's just what I did, picking up a few Marvel Essentials collections as well as some DC Showcase Presents volumes.

I selected mainly "Volume #1" books so Library of Justice readers could enjoy the origins and early days of favorites like Superman, Batman, Iron Man, and Amethyst. At least three of these are over 500 pages of some of the best and most memorable stories.

If these become popular reads, I'm hoping to include a few more volumes that I found--maybe even make them a regular item. Let me know in the comments if you enjoy these monstrous anthologies!

Reading Tips:

  • Take one at a time: They're BIG volumes, even for voracious readers, so plan to get comfy with a character for a while. 
  • Careful turning those pages: The paper is cheap and tears easily (how else can you afford 500 pages of comics?)
  • Get a book mark: You'd have to be SUPER HUMAN to read these in just one sitting!
  • Return in good condition and help others enjoy these great stories.


Good Reading!

Saturday, October 20, 2012

NOW OPEN: THE LIBRARY OF JUSTICE!

The Library of Justice is now open! Thanks to all our neighbors and friends who stopped by today to help us cut the ribbon and kick-off a new little free library on our street.

Be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to stay up on recommended reads, new additions, and special events!

Here are some photos of the event:












If you happen upon our neighborhood--stop by and see what books and comi cs are ready for you to peruse and take one home to read tonight!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

WELCOME to the LIBRARY OF JUSTICE!


Hello neighbors, friends, and visitors! The Library of Justice, Little Free Library #3744, will have its grand opening at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Here's what you should do:
  • Come and join us for a ribbon cutting,
  • Cookie eating,
  • Cider swilling,
  • BOOK SWAPPING, heckova time!
And check back here for updates on newly stocked books and comics, to submit a review, see our recommended reads, and more!