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TAG: books

Picture books for frosty days

Posted in Parents and Teachers on January 2, 2018 at 6:00 am

by Sheri Boggs Winter is just not my thing. I’m too clumsy to ski. It’s too cold to enjoy being outside. And I get too dispirited by the short days to remember to take my vitamin D. I pretty much just grit my teeth, put on my stupid tights (and gloves, and boots, and hat, […]

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Social-emotional picture books to help your kids get through the holidays

Posted in Parents and Teachers on December 12, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Rachel Edmondson The holiday season is often fraught with emotions. Many adults find themselves stressed, excited, joyous, and sad—sometimes all in the same day! It’s helpful to remember that the children in our lives are often dealing with the same strong emotions. While having a vacation from school, receiving gifts, attending celebrations […]

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’Tis the Season for Mobile Devices

Posted in Explore and Discover on December 7, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Erin Dodge Whether you have a new mobile device or you’re loving your old one, you have access to free apps and resources with your library card. You can download popular books, movies, music, and more. Because all of the apps and digital resources are free, avid and casual readers, listeners, and watchers of […]

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Big animals, big news: Connect with Washington wildlife at your local library

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 30, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Nathaniel Youmans 2017 has been quite a big year for Washington’s large wildlife. The gray wolf population in the northeast part of the state continues to rebound by an annual growth rate of nearly 30%, with the two newest established packs recognized in a Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife survey conducted late last […]

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Audiobooks: Are they reading or cheating?

Posted in Explore and Discover on November 22, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Abra Cole Readers quickly divide into two groups when it comes to audiobooks: those who consider listening to audiobooks as reading and those who don’t (“it’s cheating!”). On which side do you fall? I am a lifelong member of the pro-audiobook club. I’ve been listening to books for as long as I can remember. […]

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Dealing with Addiction: An OverDrive collection of eBooks & Audiobooks

Posted in News on November 2, 2017 at 6:00 am

OverDrive, the eBook and Audiobook service, has donated a curated collection of over 60 titles related to addiction, opioid use, and recovery to the Spokane County Library District’s digital collection. It is called “Dealing with Addiction,” and titles are free to check out with your library card. Just last week, President Trump declared the […]

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Reading with children: Identity, voices, and shared memories

Posted in kids, Parents and Teachers on October 31, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Gwendolyn Haley I hear my grandfather’s voice when I read The Tale of Peter Rabbit. He did not read to me regularly. We lived very far away from him and only saw those grandparents once or twice a year. But when he read that story to me, it was magical. I have read the […]

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Ever louder bumps in the night: Scares for all ages

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 24, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Susan Goertz As a chill grips the autumn air and the chlorophyll leaches from the leaves, my mind turns toward the spooky. Nothing to get your heart racing and the cold sweat pouring on a crisp night like a good scary story. Horror is a very broad genre. There are a lot of options […]

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1942: A 75-year retrospective on books

Posted in Explore and Discover on October 5, 2017 at 6:00 am

by Rachel Edmondson Spokane County Library District is commemorating its 75th anniversary this year. We’re celebrating this fall! We’ve collected stories and poems from local writers to create a community anthology, coming out in November. We have two musical celebrations at our libraries: in October, Unstrung featuring cellist Karen Hawkins an […]

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Tidying up: Embracing the KonMari Method

Posted in Explore and Discover on September 28, 2017 at 6:00 am

By Stefani Miller Three years ago, organizing consultant Mari Kondo released her mega-best seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Many a home and closet were whipped into shape, but no one I knew had taken on Kondo’s challenge. Certainly not me, with my infamous bin full of winter clothes that may or may not […]

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