Monthly Picks

The PLS book selectors highlight new books each month on a given theme. Give them a quick look -- perhaps you'll find something of interest.

April is National Poetry Month

Pioneer Library System - Monthly Picks

Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 14:25

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

Maya Angelou. Robert Frost. Walt Whitman. Shel Silverstein. Sylvia Plath. Allen Ginsberg. John Milton. Emily Dickinson. William Blake. Anne Bradstreet. Billy Collins.

Just a few of the greatest and most popular English-language poets ever to put quill to parchment. Their names remind us to celebrate National Poetry Month in April 2013.

Conceived in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry that hopes to "increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated."

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"Hey Stella!"

Pioneer Library System - Monthly Picks

Last Updated on Tuesday, 26 March 2013 15:09

Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was born 102 years ago, on March 26, 1911. Recognized as one of our greatest playwrights, he was responsible for penning numerous classics of the American stage including The Glass Menagerie, Night of The Iguana, and two Pulitzer Prize winners: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire.

Who could forget this famous scene from Streetcar, featuring one of the American Film Institute's most memorable movie quotes of all time?

Enjoy one of Tennessee Williams's timeless works of American drama today.

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March Madness!

Pioneer Library System - Monthly Picks

Last Updated on Friday, 08 February 2013 12:27

The quick double-thump of the basketball, the adrenaline-surged race down the court, and then the magical last second “swoosh” at the final buzzer…Yessss! It’s March Madness and time for some page -turning hoops at the Pioneer Library System, where we’ve got the best seats in the game. Learn all about the history of Basketball, the jump shot to the pros and the inside scoop of the hoops. This month we got Magic, a Doctor, a Bird, and a little “Thunder” to cheer for March Madness. Check these titles out and get in the game!

T he Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons

A big, thick, steaming bowl of witty and intelligent commentary on the greatest players and teams ever to grace the League, written by popular columnist and TV and radio sports personality Bill Simmons.

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Jack Kerouac would have been 91 this year

Pioneer Library System - Monthly Picks

Last Updated on Tuesday, 05 March 2013 16:15

Influential novelist and Beat Generation icon Jean-Louis "Jack" Kerouac was born on March 12, 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts.

According to Chase's Calendar of Events: "Kerouac is best known for his novel On The Road, published in 1957, which celebrates the Beat ideal of noncomformity. Kerouac published The Dharma Bums in 1958, followed by The Subterraneans the same year, Doctor Sax and its sequel Maggie Cassidy in 1959, Lonesome Traveler in 1960, Big Sur in 1962 and Desolation Angels in 1965."

Commemorate the birth anniversary of this prominent and controversial American literary figure by reading one of the novels listed above, or by digging deeper into his life and work with one of these items:

What Happened to Kerouac? [NONFICTION DVD]

Investigates the personal history and creative process of Jack Kerouac, father of the Beat Generation, author of "On the road", and a pivotal figure of the fifties countercultural revolution. Shows what happened when fame and notoriety were thrust upon an essentially reticent man.

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The Field of Sequential Art

Pioneer Library System - Monthly Picks

Last Updated on Thursday, 31 January 2013 11:45

William Erwin Eisner was born on this date, March 6 (1917-2005), and today we honor his contributions to the world of comics and graphic novels. He termed his art as, “The Field of Sequential Art” and the industry named one of the most prestigious awards after him, The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, otherwise known as “The Eisner’s.” Eisner was born and raised in New York City and to supplement the family’s income, he sold newspapers and got to see all the comics every day. And one of the most important parts of his education and development to his career was reading. He read vicariously and with his natural artistic ability of storytelling, this lead to one of the early forms of the graphic novel. Eisner used the graphic novel format to combine thematic, visual stories that were bound in a single volume. Today we celebrate the man, the myth, and the legend all rolled into one. Check out our dazzling graphic novel collection at your hometown library today!

The Best of the Spirit by Will Eisner

A reproduction of a classic collection of 22 tales which date from the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. >From the headquarters deep beneath Wildwood Cemetery, masked crime fighter Danny Colt fights crime in Central City and beyond. Look for the dangerous Femmes Fatale, street crooks, criminal master-minds, and yes, even creatures from outer space. A true comic classic for anyone interested in the history of comics and the art form from the golden age.

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