Put on your comfy sweater and join us for a cozy book chat complete with fall-themed games! Please register and the link to the program will be sent to registered participants 24 hours before the event start time.
Join a member of Equality Virginia’s Transgender Advocacy Speakers Bureau, for an evening of community and learning as they share their story as a transgender person followed by plenty of time for dialogue and questions. An invitation to join this online Zoom event will be sent to registered participants 1-2 days before the event.
Learn and improve chess skills using online Lichess tactics. An invitation to join this virtual chess game will be emailed 1 day prior to the start time.
Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently!
I’ve included the call number so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted.
The Queen’s Assassin, Melissa de la Cruz (YSF DEL)
Caledon Holt is the kingdom’s deadliest weapon. Shadow of the Honey Glade has been training all her life to join the Guild, hoping that one day she’ll become an assassin as feared and revered as Cal. But Shadow’s mother and aunts expect her to serve the crown as a lady of the Renovian Court. When a surprise attack brings Shadow and Cal together, they’re forced to team up as assassin and apprentice.
Thunderhead, Neal Shusterman (first book Scythe) (YSF SHU)
Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the chilling sequel to the Printz Honor Book Scythe from New York Times bestseller Neal Shusterman, author of the Unwind dystology.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson (FIC JAC)
A deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the dramatic struggle that ensues when an unexpected visitor interrupts their unusual way of life.
The Selection, Kiera Cass (YSF CAS)
Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illea, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection–a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea’s prince–but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.
Reflection, Elizabeth Lim (YFIC LIM)
When Shang is grievously harmed by a blow meant for her, Mulan, still disguised as Ping, travels to the Underworld with Shang’s lion guardian to bring him back.
The Last Magician, Lisa Maxwell (YSF MAX)
In modern day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic–the Mageus–live in the shadows, hiding who they are from the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power–and often their lives. Esta is a talented thief. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order–and the Brink–before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.
The Witches, Roald Dahl (JFIC DAH)
A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on witches, together foil a witches’ plot to destroy the world’s children by turning them into mice.
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin (305.896 BALDWIN JAMES)
A plea and a warning to citizens to examine the actual state of America after a century of emancipation.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (FIC LEE)
Scout Finch, daughter of the town lawyer, likes to spend her summers building treehouses, swimming, and catching lightning bugs with her big brother Jem. But one summer, when a black man is accused of raping a white woman, Scout’s carefree days come to an end. In the county courtroom, she will join her father in a desperate battle against ignorance and prejudice.
Pumpkinheads, Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks (YFIC ROW)
Working at a pumpkin patch every autumn, two seasonal best friends organize ultimate Halloween plans to celebrate their last working year together.
The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (YFIC TUR)
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.
Hello guys, gals, and other pals! Today I wanted to compile a list of scary books for brave people to read this Halloween!
The Twisted Book Of Shadows- Many Authors
Out of seven hundred stories received through a blind submission process, none of the editors had any idea who the authors were, nineteen made the final cut. Within these pages you will find terrifying nightmares, horrifying folklore and hellish futures.
Pet Sematary- Stephen King
When a little boy’s pet dies, and he persuades his parents to bury it in an old Indian cemetery, reputed by legend to house restless spirits, a nightmare of death and destruction begins.
Beautiful Darkness- Fabien Vehlmann
A group of little people find themselves without a home in this horror fantasy classic. Newly homeless, a group of fairies find themselves trying to adapt to their new life in the forest. As they dodge dangers from both without and within, optimistic Aurora steps forward to organize and help build a new community. Slowly, the world around them becomes more treacherous as petty rivalries and factions form.
The Exorcist- William Peter Blatty
I mean… you know… scary.
Imaginary Friend- Stephen Chbosky
Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, Christopher, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with Christopher at her side. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It’s as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out. At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six awful days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a tree house in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will never be the same again. Soon Kate and Christopher find themselves in the fight of their lives, caught in the middle of a war playing out between good and evil, with their small town as the battleground.
Hello all! I wanted to make a post on some Halloween reads that you can get from Reston Regional Library.
The Raven’s Tale, Cat Winters
Seventeen-year-old Edgar Poe’s plans to escape his foster family, begin classes at the prestigious new university, and marry his beloved Elmira Royster go awry when a macabre Muse appears with a request.
Cemetery Boys, Aidan Thomas
Yadriel, a trans boy, summons the angry spirit of his high school’s bad boy, and agrees to help him learn how he died, thereby proving himself a brujo, not a bruja, to his conservative family.
A Drop of Night, Stephen Bachman
Seventeen-year-old Anouk has been chosen to participate in an exclusive program, which includes an all-expense-paid trip to France and a chance to explore the hidden underground Palais du Papillon, or the Palace of the Butterfly. Along with four other bright and talented teenagers, Anouk will be one of the first people to set foot in the palace in more than 200 years. But the expedition is not all it seems–their supposed benefactors are attempting to kill them. The story alternates between Anouk’s flight through the palace and the struggles of Aurelie, who escaped the French Revolution by fleeing into the Palais du Papillon in 1789.
Dream Fall, Amy Plum
Cata Cordova suffers from such debilitating insomnia that she agreed to take part in an experimental new procedure. She thought things couldn’t get any worse… but she was terribly wrong. Soon after the experiment begins, there’s a malfunction with the lab equipment, and Cata and six other teen patients are plunged into a shared dreamworld with no memory of how they got there. Even worse, they come to the chilling realization that they are trapped in a place where their worst nightmares have come to life. Hunted by creatures from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they’d rather keep buried, Cata and the others will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears. And if they can’t find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up.
The Tenth Girl, Sara Faring
In 1978 at the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi — a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother — it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls. Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house — despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored. One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery — and then fight for her life.
Anyone who reads knows stories have real power. Today I’ll be talking about that, and the science behind it!
First of all, humans interact with the world through stories. We are a compilation of the stories we most identify with. If you think you are smart, you are telling yourself a story about being smart. Our self-perception and the way we interact with others is all based on the stories we tell ourselves.
This is so important because if we have an incomplete story about a group of people, we may be led to conclusions that simply aren’t true. If we read more, we can understand things from differing perspectives rather than just one.
Secondly, stories help us learn. When we hear stories, we learn in more dimensions. Trying to learn through bullet points is like looking at the world in black and white. We see the information, and put it in our brains. Learning through stories is color! Not only do we get the facts, we get the experience tied with it, which can give a whole new meaning. Human brains work in a cause and effect way. Stories are told the same way we experience life, which makes them invaluable.
On top of all of that, stories activate parts of our brain as if we were actually participating in the story! When study participants read a sentence about a boy kicking a soccer ball, their motor cortex lit up. We take emotions from stories as well, and can share them! That’s why when you watch a movie where a character dies, you feel sad. The director told the story in such a way that you identified with it, even though it’s not about you.
When someone tells you a story, they are inviting you into their mind. You get to see their perspective, their feelings, and their thoughts. You can see yourself in their shoes, even just for a bit.
Hello ladies, gentlemen, and other assorted fellows!
Reston Regional Library is doing a book bingo this month, and it’s super fun! All you have to do is read a row of three books (up, down, or diagonal), and email restonlibtab@gmail.com your completed board!
Join us in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote! Read one or two essays or the whole book of Women Making History: the 19th amendment created by the United States National Park Service. Reserve your copy by placing a hold online or call your local library branch to have them help you! Please read at least one of the essays in the book so you can share and discuss the journey women took to get the right to vote and how important voting is today. A Zoom invitation will be emailed to registrants one day before the event. To use Zoom you will need a computer or smart phone and an internet connection, or join by telephone. Log in to the meeting up to 15 minutes before the start time. Ages 12-18. R. Registration is required.Â
Download a bingo card and read along. Get three books in a row and we’ll enter you into a drawing for prize! Submit your completed bingo to restonlibtab@gmail.com Ages 12-18. Continue reading though October with this activity!
Missing trick or treat? Have a great costume, but can’t show it off? Come to our virtual Halloween party! We’ll play Halloween jeopardy, admire each other’s costumes, and maybe tell a spooky story or two.
A league for young gamers to get together via Zoom and play games like DOTA 2, Fortnite, OverWatch and League of Legends. A biweekly get together where we discuss gaming, safe practices, and league ev…
Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults. (R)
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by reading some wonderful books by and about the Latinx community! Our Teen Services librarian will highlight teen books that have won the Pura Belpre award.
Jennifer Eubank combines breathing, poses, mindfulness and meditation in this session. An invitation to join this virtual class will be emailed 1-2 days prior to the start time. Teens-Adults.
Gather “in-the-round” with other crochet enthusiasts! Virtually, of course. Practice a new technique or stitch each week, share projects, and learn from each other! Perfect for those looking…
An round table reading program for parents and children via Zoom. We will read aloud books together, starting with a series of short stories. Open to newcomers!
