Fall Break Library Hours

The library will be closed Sunday, Oct. 8th and Monday, Oct. 9th for Fall Break and will reopen from 7:45AM-4:45PM on Tuesday, Oct. 10th. Have a safe and relaxing break!

Fall 2017 Newsletter

Check out what's going on in the SCCC Library this fall!

Director's Review- The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

It's always a pleasure to read a Kate Morton book. I try to space them out to "make them last," rather than reading one right after the other, as she's a relatively new author with just 5 books to her name. That being said, her stories have never read as though they're written by a "new" author, in my opinion, and the same holds true for "The House at Riverton," which was her debut novel.
Certain elements of the plot are reminiscent of Downton Abbey: the British aristocracy at the dawn of WWI through the 1920s, the details of and differences between the lives of the wealthy and pampered peerage versus the lower-class servants who kept the estates running smoothly. Being a Downton Abbey fan, I loved this part of the story.
A "whodunit" of sorts is at the heart of the plot. For decades, the world has believed that a famous poet and friend of the Hartfords committed suicide during a party at Riverton in the midst of the Roaring 20s, but Grace, the narrator and a former servant at Riverton has been keeping the family's secrets for over 70 years. She's flooded with a rush of memories when contacted by an American producer who is planning to turn the Riverton tragedy into a film, and the story alternates between Grace's flashbacks and the present day. While the characters experience heartache and loss throughout the story, it's still a great read and one that left me guessing what had really happened at the Riverton party until the end.
"The House at Riverton" is available from Cloud Library through the State Library of Kansas.

We are adding to our collection! Stop in to reserve any of our new books and we'll contact you as soon as they're ready for checkout!

Director's Review- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Who doesn't love Harry Potter? Every few years, I get the itch to reread the series, and usually, I only get the first book read before I feel the need to get back to my reading list of new books. However, this time, I've made further progress with book #2. No matter how many times I read a book, I'm always surprised at what I either hadn't picked up on the first time I read it, or what I had forgotten. Though I'm probably in the minority, the character of Dobby annoys me at times, but I'd forgotten how much I love the utter absurdity of Gilderoy Lockheart, as well as the plot line of Tom Riddle's diary. The intricacy of the story lines that Rowling creates, especially when you see everything begin to fit together by the end of the series, is nothing short of impressive.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is available at the SCCC Library.

Summer classes are in full swing! Stop in the library to get your library account set up so you are able to check out materials whenever you need them!

Director's Review- City of Thieves by David Benioff

The siege of Leningrad; I knew before starting this book that it was going to upset me, and it did. I don't know why this period in history fascinates me, but I keep coming back for more. This was a great story, but if you're looking for something with a happy ending, this isn't the book for you. However, in stories such as this, you look for and learn to appreciate the few happy and upbeat moments when you encounter them. The suffering and the heartache of the characters were expected, but I didn't expect the humor from the character of Kolya. He was the bright spot in the midst of what was ultimately, an extremely depressing story. He was realistic, yet almost optimistic in his outlook of the war and life in general.
While this book didn't quite measure up to "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah, or "All the Light We Cannot See," by Anthony Doerr, it is still well worth reading. Though heavy on content, it is a quick read, and once the action starts, it doesn't let up until the end.

City of Thieves is available through Inter-Library Loan at the SCCC Library.

Library closed Monday, May 29th!

The library will be closed on Monday, May 29th, in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen at 7:00AM on Tuesday, the 30th. Have a safe weekend, everyone!

Lunch in the Library on Wednesday!

Join us tomorrow (Wednesday) at noon for Lunch in the Library, as we welcome Kansas Poet Laureate, Eric McHenry!

Director's Review- The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

This has been on my To-Read list since it was published, and while it definitely wasn't the worst book I've ever read, it didn't really live up to my expectations. The premise of reincarnation piqued my curiosity, but as with many YA books now, the insta-love between Haven and Iain annoyed me from the get-go. Yes, they've known each other in hundreds of past lives, but I felt that was too predictable. Plus, I thought Iain was slimy at times. Haven was far too trusting of him immediately, though she caught him lying to her several times and gave her plenty of reasons to doubt him, in my opinion. However, about halfway through, I felt the story really picked up and the focus wasn't solely on Haven and Iain's relationship. I did enjoy the story of the Ouroboros Society and the flashbacks Haven had of Constance and Ethan. Overall, I felt the idea of the story was great, but the execution was somewhat lacking.

"The Eternal Ones" is available through the State of Kansas audiobook library, OneClickDigital.

Director's Review- Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

This book was everything I expected it it be after reading the first two books in the series. Jackaby and Abigial's ghostly roommate, Jenny Cavanaugh, had been a supporting character in "Jackaby" and "Beastly Bones," but in the series' third installment, she becomes the focus of the story. Ten years ago, Jenny was murdered, and her fiance, Howard Carson, disappeared. The case was never solved by the police, and Jenny has enlisted Jackaby and Abigail to uncover her killer and determine what happened to her finance the night she was murdered. As Jackaby and Abigail delve into the cold case, another murder occurs with alarming similarities, and the group quickly realizes that Jenny's case might not be as cold as it seems.

Complete with the wit and eccentricity that readers have come to expect from the character of R.F. Jackaby, this book was every bit as exciting and engrossing as the rest of the series, and will leave you ready for the fourth and final installment.

"Ghostly Echoes" is available through the OneClickDigital Library on the State Library of Kansas Database.

Director's Review- Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

I've been on a big WWII fiction reading kick lately; add Young Adult to it, and I'll probably read it. As soon as I realized Girl in the Blue Coat took place in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, I added it to my To Be Read pile. Hanneke has many reasons to detest the unwanted Nazi invaders; they've taken over her country and she's lost her boyfriend, Bas, in the war. As an act of defiance against the Nazis and to help support her family, Hanneke acquires and delivers Black Market items to paying customers, but she's thrown for a loop when, instead of asking to find meat or cigarettes, she's asked to find a missing Jewish girl. The mystery of the girl's disappearance mixed in with the stories of the Resistance workers and the glimpses into the daily lives of those living in a Nazi-occupied country make for a great read.

"Girl in the Blue Coat" is available in the SCCC Library.

The SCCC Library will be forming an online book club! If you love to read, we would love to have you participate! Stay tuned for details!

The Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen traveling display is coming to the SCCC Library for Black History Month! Stop in the library for more details.

Just in

February 6, 2017 People magazine

Special Report:

The Inauguration & Women's March

Exclusive! Katherine Heigl article

New Prison Interview 

Menendez Brothers

"Dance Moms' Abby Lee Miller,

Will she go to jail?"

Read all about it! 

Super Bowl LI Preview is in the

January 30, 2017 issue of 

Sports Illustrated Magazine 

just arrived

"SHOOTOUT Brady vs. Ryan 

Footballs will fly; Points will be scored. History will be made"

An article by Tim Layden regarding the Patriots on page 31 and an article by Jonathan Jones regarding the Falcons on page 24

TRiO Information Literacy Workshop

Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25th, at 1:00 PM in the Math Resource Center for our Information Literacy Workshop, hosted by TRiO and led by Library Director, Lindsay Tuman. During this session you will learn how to identify credible online sources and use the library's databases. If you are unable to attend, handouts and more info from the session will be available in the library.

Director's Review- Matched by Ally Condie

"Matched" is the first installment of Ally Condie's best selling "Matched" trilogy. While the series, as a whole, has been wildly popular, I just couldn't get into this one. After reading the synopsis, it sounded so promising, as did the first several chapters, but approximately half-way through the story, my interest started to wane. Nothing really seemed to be happening, and the love story between Cassia and Ky, which basically became the entire focus of the story, had no basis or explanation other than "insta-love" to make it believable.
However, despite this, I enjoyed the disturbing post apocalyptic world Condie created. I was both interested and disgusted at different points throughout the book, especially in regards to the storyline of Cassia's grandfather and the society's elder population.