Cailey and Meg enthuse about four of their favorite books they read this year including:
Most of the books we discuss can also be borrowed as ebooks using Hoopla or Libby. All you need is your Mentor Public Library card.
Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield had a lot in common. They both lost a parent while still children, and they both lost children while parents. Of course, they are both inextricably connected to the US Civil War, served as president, and their terms were both cut short by assassination.
But the men had their differences, as well. Their views differed on slavery and civil rights. Todd Arrington, site manager of James A. Garfield National Historic Site, explores the similarities and differences of Lincoln and Garfield.
Our Civil War series continues next month at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 13. Two of Garfield NHS’s most musically inclined staff members will lead a fun and educational sing-along, exploring Christmas tunes from various wartime periods in American history! Registration is required, and you can sign up on our website.
Finally, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our series can be viewed online in their entirety, including:
Cailey and Meg share four of their favorite YA novels that have topped YALSA’s recommendation lists recently, including:
Most of the books we discuss can also be borrowed as ebooks using Hoopla or Libby. All you need is your Mentor Public Library card.
Dive into the true story of a mysterious Lake Erie shipwreck!
Kevin Magee, a diver and member of the Cleveland Underwater Explorers, explains how a shipwrecked schooner was discovered – just 20 miles from Cleveland – and identified as the Plymouth. Then, he describes how the Plymouth sank and what it had to do with some of the most powerful people of that era.
For more on local shipwrecks, you can borrow several books from our collection or watch our interview with shipwreck hunters and authors Georgann and Mike Wachter.
All this year, our resident historian Dr. John Foster has traced the tragic history of the wars in Vietnam in a series of lectures. His fourth talk in the series revisits the period from 1963 to 1968, beginning with the assassinations of Ngo Dinh Diem and John F. Kennedy and ending with the Tet Offensive and Khe Sanh.
All three of the previous lectures in Foster’s series can be viewed online:
In addition to being a reference librarian, Foster has a doctorate degree in history. He has taught history at both high school and college levels. Previously, he has led series on the Battles of World War II, the Cold War, the American Revolution and US Presidents of the 20th Century at the library.