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Rejoice gaming enthusiasts, the Elden Ring DLC will soon be upon us! But if the wait has become unbearable and you’re in desperate need of frustration there’s hope. I’ve compiled even more soulslike games that you can check out from the library. Yes, with your humble library card you can take any of these games home for free. Which is good news, because one of these titles probably isn’t worth your hard-earned dough. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you’re not familiar with From Software’s Dark Souls and its family of games, I’d encourage you to read more about them in my post on Elden Ring. You may also want to check out my first look at Soul’s inspired games right here on the Caldwell Public Library’s blog. The Good: Lies of P might be the best, most refined soulslike I’ve played. Previously I would have awarded that title to The Surge or its sequel. Both are excellent sci-fi takes on the Souls formula, but Lies of P is on a whole other level. As with all of the games highlighted here, Lies of P has all of the core Souls elements but distinguishes itself with some innovative additions. Leveling is balanced with an upgrade skill tree, weapon attacks can be altered by changing handles and blades, weapon durability actually matters, and there’s much more of an emphasis on blocking at the right moment for a “perfect block” that can negate more damage and build stagger in enemies. Lies of P takes a lot of influence from Bloodborne as well, both in mechanics and tone. The environmental and enemy designs are creepy and unsettling, with unique locations and characters. I could spend pages praising the visual design, fluidity of gameplay, characters, setting, and just about every other aspect of the game. Fan of the Souls series or not, Lies of P is an excellent and well-balanced game with plenty to offer. The Bad: Dolmen is a pretty bad title for a video game. Which is fitting because Dolmen is a bad game. A bad game that I played all the way through and mostly enjoyed. In my previous look at soulslikes I reviewed two other sci-fi takes on the formula, Hellpoint, and Immortal Unchained. While both were flawed indie imitators without any significant innovation, they both succeeded by offering a unique experience with their sci-fi settings and visual design. Hellpoint in particular, did an excellent job of making its space station setting feel epic and threatening. Dolmen is bland as plain oatmeal. The story is puddle deep. NPCs are virtually non-existent. The weapons are generic and boring. The game structure is painfully linear, and the leveling system is so basic it may as well have been left out. Overall, the game feels lazy and unfinished. But it's a hard game. Or maybe just cheap. I haven’t quite decided, but I’d avoid this game unless you relish the oddly terrible. The Unknown: Lords of the Fallen released in 2014, is one of the earliest copycats to take notes off From Software’s homework. Wait, that’s not right. Lords of the Fallen released in 2023, is the latest take on the soulslike formula. Described as a “successor” to the original game, Lords of the Fallen has received mixed reviews but appears to have a decent level of polish. Why they decided it should share the name of the first installment is beyond me. Particularly, when the original was a clunky mess that I stopped playing after only a few hours. I haven’t touched this one yet, but it won’t be long before I do. Based on other reviews, there are some new elements and mechanics that could prove interesting provided they’re done right. I’ll most likely be revisiting this title the next time I’ve got enough new soulslike games to blather about. Until then, get good or get busy dying!

Is there a particular book that moved you as a child that maybe your child has never heard of? I started thinking about this a few days ago and realized that we’ve all grown up in different environments when society and the world moved differently than it does now. Two books that I distinctly remember having a profound impact on me were Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli and The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks. Maniac Magee is about a runaway child, who, throughout the book, is taken in by different families. It addresses themes of racism and inequality as he tries to embrace which home is best for him. I love that the book's message is to treat everyone with kindness and acceptance, no matter what their circumstance. In The Fairy Rebel, a woman is struggling to conceive a child and befriends a fairy in her garden named Tiki, who uses magic to help the woman have a child. This is against the fairy rules, triggering an uprising with the Fairy Queen. This book taught me to show compassion, to stand up for what you believe in, and to help others even if it’s not popular or against someone else’s desires. I decided to inquire with my colleagues about what moved and inspired them as a child and wanted to share some of the responses I received. Michael: “Has anyone suggested The Little Prince? That is one of my favorites. The Little Prince is a 1943 fantasy novella originally published in French by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The book follows the titular character the Little Prince, as he visits various planets and their inhabitants before encountering the narrator on Earth. The book explores themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Central to the book are explorations of imagination, childhood, and human nature." Virgil: “Two of my favorite book series growing up were the Silverwing series by Kenneth Oppel and Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky. I loved both of these series for the same reason: they made me feel like I could get through anything and reminded me that I am never alone. As the main characters faced challenge and conflict, they showed their resiliency and bravery, helping me to feel strong and courageous in my own life. They are both great reads for lovers of nocturnal animals, those who seek out action and adventure, and anyone who needs a reminder that no matter what they are facing, they can get through to the other side." Todd: "I really loved anything by Gary Paulsen: The Hatchet Series specifically." Lea: "For me, it was The Berenstain Bears series. I particularly remember one of the books, which was about Mother's Day, and how tired and worn out the Mother Bear was. The cubs and the dad pitched in to try to make her Mother's Day special, and I remember how it really changed my perspective on what it means to be a mom and the sacrifices we make for our children, and how that I shaped me into the mom I am today as well." Sharon: "For me, the book that stood out was The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. The series of books is very silly and lighthearted and takes place in a Victorian time setting. The main character, Penelope, becomes a governess for a set of three children, who have literally been raised by wolves, and she tries to teach them Shakespeare, and other classic literature. It is a very laugh out loud book that tries to have culture reason with legit wolf raised kids... which seems ridiculous. My 9-year-old granddaughter also loves this book as much as I do." Darla: "The Aristocats. Because I have always loved kitties, and I had always loved cats, and had barn cats growing up, and sometimes we had double digits on how many cats we would have at a time, and this book reminds me of the happiest times I had as a child."

April is National Poetry Month! Introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month is an opportunity to highlight an underappreciated literary artform and a celebration of the craft. Here at Caldwell Public Library, we're marking the occasion by encouraging our patrons to participate in Erasure Poetry. Erasure Poetry, also known as Blackout Poetry, is a form of found poetry where a poem is created by taking an existing text and blacking out or eliminating words. By selectively blacking out parts of the text a poem is formed with the remaining words. Our staff took damaged and discarded items no longer suitable for circulation and placed their pages next to our poetry book display along with a submission box and black sharpie. Patrons are free to select a page and create their own blackout poem that staff will sort and display next month. A similar submission station is set up in the Kids and Family section of the library. We had a ton of fun creating our own poems which we used to decorate the submission boxes. In fact, we made more than we needed and decided to display them in our staff area! We're excited to see what our patrons create and look forward to reading and sharing your poems.

Where do I begin with Reggie and the Full Effect? The solo project of James Dewees, Reggie and the Full Effect are an Irreverent and goofy group that defy genre conventions. The band is generally referred to as post-hardcore but that only scratches the surface of their sound. Incorporating elements of Hip-Hop, Metal, Euro-pop, and a slew of other influences, Reggie and the Full Effect are a wildly unpredictable listening experience. However, humor and lightheartedness are core elements of any Reggie release. Welcome to another Freegal album review. Freegal is a free music streaming service that you can access with your Caldwell Public Library card. You can read more about Freegal here. Released in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter, No Country for Old Musicians is Reggie and the Full Effect’s sixth studio album. A mix of synth driven post-hardcore, joke interludes, and “guest” appearances from some of the band’s alter egos such as Common Denominator, it's a chaotic record that follows the band’s typical format. The opening track gives a pretty good indication of what Reggie is all about as the listener is blasted by a thirty second faux-country jam that hollers the album title repeatedly. Short audio clips and song snippets are a staple on most Reggie releases for better or worse. One of my favorite tracks here is "37". The song’s basic narrative revolves around the speaker being visited by monsters on his birthday. The monsters don’t want to eat him but have come to recruit him for their monster band. "They say they've come from a faraway land And that they're here to start a band And what a nice coincidence That I can play lots of instruments" The upbeat chorus and snappy drums really make this track pop and I always get the melody stuck in my head. The snare sounds fantastic in this track! Seriously, check it out. The music video is also excellent and has a lot of fun with the monster theme. "Revenge Is a Dish Best Served at Park Chan-Wook's House", is a real banger of a track with hilarious tongue in cheek lyrics. Once again, the production of the record shines with thick guitar tracks and layers of vocals. If you don’t listen to the lyrics closely you might mistake this for a serious post-hardcore revenge song. "And I had a lot of time to think To try to figure out How many rocks it would take to make your body sink" The theme here is all about outrageous Korean revenge cinema but it's delivered with so much energy it feels personal. Tracks like this are often my favorite on Reggie records because they just flat-out rock. A final highlight from the album is "Who Needs Another Drank? Feat: Floppy Disk-0". If you haven’t caught on yet, Reggie and the Full Effect don’t take their song titles too seriously. This is mostly a hip-hop infused track with an epic singalong chorus to close it out. Once again, the lyrics are hilarious, and James’ rapping is just as good as his singing. The nasally whine behind his delivery is reminiscent of the Beastie Boys and his flow is tight. This song makes me long for more Reggie tracks in this style. No Country for Old Musicians is loaded with joke songs and sound clips which can come across as filler. Certainly, after listening to the album a few times, I began to skip some of the more schtick songs but there’s still plenty of substance and good content here. Reggie and the Full Effect may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy music that doesn’t take itself too seriously and isn’t afraid to be weird then there’s a lot to like about the group. It’s obviously the passion project of a very talented musician and his group of cohorts, and it's clearly good-natured fun.

“What I am, and I know it, is responsible, joyful, thankful." To say that I feel inspired working in a library daily would be an understatement. Today’s inspiration comes from a lovely book of poetry called, “Red Bird” by Mary Oliver. As I was checking in this book, a lovely patron wrote on a post-it note the last line of a poem which read: “What I am, and I know it, is responsible, joyful, thankful. I would not give my life for a thousand of yours”, under this was written, “For whoever reads this, don’t forget that.” It really opened my eyes as to what this means to me, and how I can apply it to my life. What it means to be joyful and thankful…I don’t see joy and happiness as the same thing. I feel like joy has a deeper sense of self reflection, and purpose; to find joy in each day is an active choice, an outlook with deeper meaning. After this, I looked into some additional books by Mary Oliver, one of them titled: A Poetry Handbook, which gives some advice on prose and how to perfect my writing skills. I was inspired again at how words can move people, and so badly wanted to share this gift with others. I’d like to share this poem with you in full and would love to hear thoughts on what it means to you. "Straight Talk From Fox" By Mary Oliver Listen says fox It is music to run over the hills To lick dew from the leaves To nose along the edges of the ponds To smell the fat ducks in their bright feathers but far out, Safe in their rafts of sleep. It is like music to visit the orchard, To find the vole sucking the sweet of the apple, Or the rabbit with his fast-beating heart. Death itself, is a music. Nobody has ever come close to writing it down, Awake or in a dream. It cannot be told. It is flesh and bones changing shape and with good cause, Mercy is a little child beside such an invention. It is music to wander the black back roads Outside of town No one awake or wondering If anything miraculous is ever going to happen, Totally dumb to the fact of every moment’s miracle. Don’t think I haven’t peeked into windows. I see you in all your seasons Making love, arguing, talking about God As if he were an idea instead of the grass, Instead of the stars, The rabbit caught in one good teeth-whacking hit And brought home to the den. What I am, and I know it, is Responsible, joyful, thankful. I would not give my life for a thousand of yours Source: https://pickmeuppoetry.org/straight-talk-from-fox-by-mary-oliver

There are few things finer in life than sitting down to watch your favorite holiday films. It's a tradition that brings friends, families, and screens together as we seek to collectively decompress. Curling up on the couch, wrapping yourself in a blanket, basking in the warm glow of the TV, and sipping a hot beverage as the snow falls outside is truly sublime. In honor of this holiday ritual, I'd like to highlight some classic holiday comedies. As always, you'll find catalog links to these films so you can request a copy for pickup right here at the Caldwell Public Library. Ernest Saves Christmas (PG) I'm a huge Ernest fan, and it you haven't seen the late great Jim Varney in action as the titular character this is an excellent entry point. Santa is ready to retire, and he has precious little time to convince his replacement to take the job or there won't be a Christmas at all. Thankfully, Santa's taxi from the airport is driven by the ever helpful, overly enthusiastic, and firm Santa believer, Ernest P. Worrell. A missing magic sack and a rebellious runaway further complicate Santa's mission as Ernest, despite his clumsy and destructive tendencies, tries to avoid a Christmas calamity. A fun, fast paced slapstick that's sure to please, Ernest Saves Christmas still makes me laugh even after seeing it hundreds of times. Home Alone (PG) Ever heard of this hidden gem? The original two Macaulay Culkin films are amongst the most beloved Christmas movies of all time. And for good reason, the films are hilarious, heartwarming, charming, and iconic. Home Alone spawned the wacky traps built by a kid to defeat bad guys trope, essentially creating a new subgenre of slapstick comedies. However, I'd skip the lower budget, lower effort sequels that sought to capitalize on the franchise's popularity. The 3rd film is still mostly enjoyable, but I wouldn't follow the series much further unless you're a mega fan with a high tolerance for schlock. Jingle All the Way (PG) I was a little surprised to see this film's resurgence. It was plenty popular when I was a kid, but it seemed like this goofy Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas film about a workaholic father's desperate quest for a Turbo-Man action figure was destined to be forgotten. The way the movie portrays rabid Christmas shoppers is hilarious and at times sadly accurate. Arnold fights a group of shady Santa toy dealers, punches out a Reindeer, and ultimately becomes Turbo-Man himself as he tries to prove to his son that he can indeed keep his word. Plenty of enjoyably outrageous antics and some subtle adult humor keep the film engaging from start to finish.

Working the front desk here at the Caldwell Public Library is the best way to find something new to read. Rarely do I have to go out of my way to find my next book, it simply comes back in our book drops, arrives through our courier, or appears on a cart I'm organizing. And that's exactly how I discovered Where are your boys tonight? : the oral history of emo's mainstream explosion 1999-2008. If you're familiar with any of my previous Freegal posts, you'll understand the immediate appeal this book had for me. But if this is your first-time hearing about the library's free music streaming service Freegal, you can learn more about it here. And if you don't have the privilege of processing thousands of returned library books every week, check out some of our tips and tricks for finding the perfect book for you or your family. I highly recommend "Where are your boys tonight?" for anyone interested in music history, the emo scene, or for fans of bands like Fallout Boy, My Chemical Romance, The Used, or Panic at the Disco. The book is loaded with great stories, backgrounds, and insight into the personal and professional lives of some of the scenes most well-known and obscure acts. A word of warning though, this is an oral history which means there are a ton of names to keep track of. Which finally brings us to today's Freegal album review. Overanalyzing the Manifestations of the Unconscious is a 1998 EP from the band Humble Beginnings. The band was a staple of emerging emo scene on the East coast with many of its members going on to bigger projects as the style exploded in popularity. The band had a lot of small releasees from local labels but never broke out to a national audience. However, this EP did get a small re-release in 2018. Overanalyzing the Manifestations of the Unconscious is the most polished and poppy of the band's output, with tight production and solid song writing. Primarily a pop-punk affair, the EP has all the subtle flavor of the New Jersey and Long Island emo scene baked in. A little more rhythmic, danceable, and groovy, this EP really highlights the elements that made the scene unique. Breakdown beats with gang vocals, thick guitars, and skate punk speed are the core of the band's sound. There's not a bad song on the EP's slim 6 tracks. Highlights include the outro on "Three Thirty Four", and the epic chorus on the final track "Faith98". "Where are your boys tonight" introduced me to some really interesting and foundational groups. I was blasting Humble Beginnings and a few other bands featured in the book constantly while reading. So, if you're curious like I was about the origins of emo's most popular phase, check out both "Where are your boys tonight" and this great EP.

It seems like just about every streaming or entertainment service has a year in review or "wrapped" report now. It can be a lot of fun to look back on the year and see what our consumption habits were. What artists, shows, or songs we gravitated too can reveal a lot about how we felt about the year and help us identify patterns. Which is why we here at the library also do a sort of year-end review we like to call STATISTICS! Don't let the math word scare you away, because today we're simply looking at circulation stats. Simply put, how many times did this book or movie checkout? Let's take a look at our most popular materials of the year by category! Adult Fiction: Remarkably bright creatures: a novel (2022) / Where the crawdads sing (2018) Teen Fiction: The Hunger Games (2008) / The ballad of songbirds and snakes (2020) Youth Fiction: Diary of a wimpy kid: the getaway (2017) Adult Movies: Pride and prejudice (BBC Mini-series 1995) Youth Movies: PAW patrol. Summer Rescues (2018) It's interesting how some older books like The Hunger Games surge in popularity because of movie releases for their sequels and how persistent the appeal of Where the crawdads sing is. As you can see, there were ties this year for the top spot in both Teen Fiction and Adult Fiction. And in the top spot for Youth Fiction, Diary of a wimpy kid: the getaway was borrowed a whopping 52 times!

Outreach services had an amazing time this Fall with the Caldwell community. We were able to participate in some really fun events, give out a ton of books (and candy), and connect with the community with storytimes, programs, and visits. In September we went to the Indian Creek Festival and set up some family activities in the Caldwell Train Depot building. We showcased our 3D printer and some fun games that centered around STEM activities. We also had a story walk and some books to give away. We saw so many families and a lot of them had fun playing our magnetic fishing game with 3D printed pieces. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello! In October we went to two Trunk or Treat events, one at Sacajawea Elementary for Caldwell School District families, and one with Caldwell Housing Authority and their residents at Farmway Village. How exciting to be invited to both events! We saw so many families and had a lot of fun decorating our trunk in a spooky way. The kids loved being able to get a piece of candy and pick out a free book. Berry Bear came with us to Sacajawea Elementary school, he even dressed up like a pirate for the occasion! Were you able to come say hi to us at one of the Trunk or Treat events? There were many other community members at these events as well, making it a strong and wonderful time for families and helping them be more familiar with all the wonderful support systems that Caldwell has to offer. I hope you catch us at the next Trunk or Treat event! In November we went to Dia de los Muertos at Washington elementary school. We got to show off our 3D printer to the families in the area. Leslie made some really cool 3D printed sugar skulls that she gave away. This event had folklorica dancers, food, beverages, and fun games for the community. Did you stop by and play one of our games? Being able to attend these events is so wonderful, we love seeing all the families that Caldwell serves and being able to support our school systems! Lastly, this Fall we have also been focusing on strengthening library programs and visits around communities such as Farmway Village or the Caldwell Senior Center. We have also been visiting our literacy center at the laundromat Get the Funk Out, have you been by it yet? We are offering children's programming at Farmway Village, and an information table at the Caldwell Senior Center once a month. At the laundromat, we have been offering storytimes once a month for those who are doing laundry or just in the area and want to hear stories for a bit. We also will talk about any of our library services at these locations and encourage everyone to ask questions so that we can better understand the services that you are looking for. If you see us at any events, please make sure to say hi! We are driving to distribute books to our homebound community every Tuesday and you may see us in your neighborhoods from time to time. As we continue on with winter, I will be taking photos and looking forward to doing a winter outreach recap for you all. Have a wonderful rest of your year!

Did you know the Caldwell Public Library has a collection of historical documents and other materials? This collection began in the late 1970s when Caldwell's Oral History Committee started gathering oral history stories from long-time Caldwell residents. Photographs and other memorabilia were also collected during this time. Materials continued to be collected during the directorship of Elaine Leppert, who was active with local history groups, including the Oral History Committee. Elaine Leppert and Lorene Thurston wrote the book Early Caldwell Through Photographs, a brief but informative photographic history of Caldwell's early years using the library's historical collection materials. Plans for a second book, covering the next part of Caldwell's history, were made but never realized. Over the last six years, library staff has worked diligently to make the library's historical collection more accessible to the public. Grants have been sought out and secured to purchase software to digitize newspapers and photographs, preserve historical maps, and hire summer interns to assist with organizing and digitizing the collection. Once a significant amount of the physical collection was relocated from storage to the Idaho Room, it was officially named the Elaine Leppert Historical Collection in honor of the person who spent so much time building and using the collection. Three major projects with this collection took place over the last year: 1) Most of the library's historical maps were copied and preserved for long-term use. This project was made possible through a grant from the Canyon County Historic Preservation Commission. Copies and lamination were made at Copy Cat on 10th Ave. in Caldwell. The maps are housed in the Library's Idaho Room and are available during the library's operating hours. Unfortunately, we ran out of funding with our grant to complete the entire map collection. The rest of the maps will be completed at a future date. 2) A brief historical timeline of Caldwell was constructed on the wall in front of the Idaho Room. This project was made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities via a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council. The timeline was officially unveiled during the library's Once Upon a Time fundraiser Gala on April 26. Local historian Chuck Randolph assisted staff with historical details and unveiled the timeline to Gala attendees. An in-depth timeline was put together virtually. This timeline includes major historical events in the city's history, including photographs and audio interviews from the oral history interviews conducted in the 1970s. The virtual timeline is available in English and Spanish and can be accessed here. 3) The library owns over 6,000 photographic slides that have been converted to digital photo files over the last several years. In the summer of 2021, the library hired an intern to assist with selecting an appropriate online platform to make these photographs accessible to the public. Once a platform was selected, staff began the arduous process of adding photographs and accompanying information to the site, which can be accessed here. As of May 2022, 856 photos are available to search and browse through the website. Although much work has been done over the past six years, there are many projects in the future for the historical collection. The remaining maps need to be copied and stored for optimal preservation; digitized items must be added to the public site with accompanying information, inventories need to be completed, and continued digitization and preservation of material must ensue. This summer, the library will work with an intern to continue adding photographs to the public site and continue the multi-year project of digitizing the local newspaper from microfilm. If you or someone you know is interested in historic preservation, we would love to have volunteers help with these ongoing projects. If you haven't had an opportunity to see the wall timeline, we encourage you to make a trip to the back of the library, behind adult non-fiction, and look at the installation. You may learn something new about Caldwell's rich history! We hope you will consider the library for your historical research needs. If you have a question about local history or want to learn more about the historical collection, you can contact us at 208-459-3242 or infolibrary@cityofcaldwell.org.

If the sonic landscape of the early aughts could be distilled into a single group it’d be The Movielife. Equal parts pop punk, emo, and post hardcore, their album This Time Next Year feels like the soundtrack to one of the many teen comedy films that dominated theaters at the time. Catchy and fast, but with just enough edge to feel rebellious, popmatters described the album as melding “emo/indie-rock, hardcore, and pop seamlessly.” Revelation Records promotes the album as “a harmonious mix of the catchiest parts of pop and indie rock blended together with a noticeable hardcore edge.” So why didn’t The Movielife join the post-hardcore pantheon? Grab your library card and listen for yourself here on the library’s very own music streaming service, Freegal. If you’re unfamiliar with Freegal or would like to know more about the service you can read all about it in my “Easing into E-Resources” post. The Movielife are yet another band that should have blown up. However, as the case seems to be with a slew of acts around this period they failed to rise through a sea of bands all embracing a similar sound and aesthetic. Formed in 1997 from veterans of the Long Island scene, The Movielife released their first album It's Go Time in 1997, and followed it in October of 2000 with This Time Next Year. During their heyday they would tour with titans like Brand New, New Found Glory, and even Good Charlotte. The title track is the real standout here and should have pushed the band to the front of the scene. The leading guitar riff is outrageously infectious and the syncopated rhythm supporting it adds depth and aggression. The structure of the track simply rocks and delivers massive amounts of energy. Vinnie Caruana’s vocals are articulate but strained. Nestled into the mix, the performance remains melodic but on the edge of breaking up. Some of the best tracks work similarly, blending hardcore and pop punk sensibilities seamlessly. “Pinky Swear” for instance, opens with an aggressive hardcore push that unexpectedly morphs into a melodic Blink-182esque verse. The combination of stomping hardcore breaks and sickly sweet choruses add a captivating dynamic to The Movielife’s sound. Lyrical themes are diverse, ranging from break up songs to laments about the grind of being a working class band. "Once in a Row" leads out with an infectious melody about maintaining focus and motivation, "Plenty of time to ruin my life, so why start now?." There's nothing overly sappy or dramatic about The Movielife's lyrics and most songs use direct language to get right to the point. Listeners won't be scratching their heads at weighty metaphors but that's not a criticism, a good hook is worth a million words. The group would go on to release another album in 2003 before breaking up and reuniting for another release in 2017. Their third album Forty Hour Train Back to Penn is a fantastic follow up that highlights their growth as songwriters both lyrically and compositionally. So what do you think? Is This Time Next Year an overlooked gem or forgotten background noise? As always, if you enjoyed this review please check out some of my other Freegal posts right here on the library blog. And, if you enjoyed This Time Next Year I highly recommend Masquerade in the Key of Crime by The Stryder also available on Freegal.

Did you know that the library has 3D printers? We have three in total, two that can print multiple colors at the same time and one that only does one color. We have had them for several years, but I just recently learned how to use them in the past month or so. It always seemed like a daunting task to learn, especially after seeing the program that the printers use to convert the files. Once I got started though, I realize that it’s easy to learn, especially if you don’t want to get too in depth with it. The program that talks to the 3D printers only requires a little bit of knowledge to do baseline things, and it isn’t hard to learn the more in-depth aspects. The programs available to design the prints are pretty straightforward and offer helpful tutorials and there are also books to help you learn. The way 3D printing works is that the designs are printed layer by layer using filament. There are many different types of filaments available, but the most commonly used one is called PLA or polylactic acid. The program that talks to the 3D printer breaks down the design into those layers and you can see what those layers will look like and how long the print will take. Currently, the printers are not available for patrons to come in and use for themselves, but you can submit files for staff to print. It works best if the files are .stl and the cost is five cents a gram. Below is a little bit more info on some websites that are available and a couple books that we recommend checking out. To actually design a print, we recommend Tinkercad. It’s a pretty popular website and especially good for beginners. It’s best for designs that involve more geometric shapes. It uses a lot of circles, squares, and triangles. There are many things you can design using it though, and it offers tutorials to show you how to manipulate certain shapes to get what you are wanting. If you aren’t wanting to design something from scratch there is another website you can try. Thingiverse is a website where users can submit their own files of designs they have made. Some designs are based off popular games or media, others are just designs that people have come up with. The poster will submit the file to download and users who have printed it can leave comments to say how well it printed and any tips they may have. The poster can also leave details describing what settings they used and what kind of printer it was done on. If you want to learn a little more about the 3D printing design process, 3D Printing Projects, is a book we highly recommend. It’s aimed more toward kids but it’s useful for breaking down the process and explaining what certain elements are or what they mean. It’s a good start for beginners who just want to learn the basics. 3D Printing for Dummies offers a more in depth explanation to 3D printing and the many different components and possibilities. It has a lot of technical information so it’s best for people who are very serious about 3D printing and want to learn every aspect that they can. Have you ever tried 3D printing? Let us know in the comments!