Wednesday, August 17, 2022

August 17, 2022 - BCPL Resume Tips


Welcome back, job hunters!

This August's resume tip may seem obvious, but it's a valid one.

Resume Tip #22 - Avoid Gaps

Gaps in your resume are almost unavoidable. Perhaps, you took time off to raise children, take care of an elderly relative, or were completing a volunteer program. You should have an explanation ready for your interview in this case. 

The only way you should include the explanation or clarification on your one-page resume is if it's in a different section from your work history. The gaps in your job history should only be explained in your summary or a volunteer or education section. 

For example, a brief summary at the top of your resume might state "Hard-working and enthusiastic teacher with five years hands-on experience seeking full time hours. I am rejoining the work force after completing my Masters program and raising three children to school age."

Otherwise, you should not create gaps in your work history to reflect certain job duties or locations. If experience at a certain job position suits the job where you are applying best, find a way to work it into your consecutive job history. Don't skip places that you worked based on relevance. It is more important to show consistent job positions.

Keep in mind as well that most employers do not consider work history over 10-15 years relevant. The experience is important to include if you can fit it into your one-page document, but most places will overlook older job positions anyway. The technology and procedures for the oldest job positions in your history have probably changed.

So, in summary, keep your resume concise and consistent to really impress perspective employers. And be weary of any gaps in your work history. These are okay, but you will need to have a ready explanation.

Remember your local library is a great place for job search help!
 

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

August 16, 2022 - Staff Reviews


 

The Summer Proposal
By Vi Keeland
Release Date: January 10, 2022
Ebook Available from WV Reads!


2.5 Stars - This book had so much potential that it didn't quite live up to. Keeland's characters are always are so real but they are always flawed too. I was really hooked in the beginning, but this couple's relationship really suffered from lack of progress. Enjoy for the fun, flirty banter and summer sex appeal if you dare.

Keeland's work is really hit and miss with me. I have truly enjoyed some of her solo stories like The Invitation and The Rivals. Here she misses the mark. Her trademark humor and excellent character voices are great. But the plot is pretty much a failure. Max is lovable. He's dedicated to hockey and his family, and almost immediately to Georgia. Georgia on the other hand is indecisive and snotty. She has her sweet moments but she's pretty cold and hard to understand. I think she looked better on paper: business woman, dyslexic, raised by single mom, likes old movies that don't get named.

I was really hooked at the beginning. But a random flashback at the one-third benchmark had me rethinking my devotion. Georgia at no point seems to want to give up her emotional crutch of an ex-fiancee. They do not have an open relationship. They are exes with benefits, let's just be honest. But she uses this guy and her fear to hold off from Max. Why? That's incredibly unclear. And the result of all that is largely unsatisfying. Now, there's some steamy scenes and sexy dialouge and very sweet moments. Again, if you're on the beach for the day or hiding on your couch for a rainstorm, you'll be entertained.  But Keeland can do a lot better than this. By that one-third point, these two have only had one kiss. And frankly, there's a lot of wordiness that drags down the pacing. This book should have just had them hooking up and been about one hundred less pages. If you're in it for the drama and the hot hockey player though, go for it.

(NS)

Monday, August 15, 2022

August 15, 2022 - New Arrivals

Adult Fiction

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand.

After a tragic fire in 1922 that killed 19-year-old chambermaid, Grace Hadley, The Hotel Nantucket descended from a gilded age gem to a mediocre budget-friendly lodge to inevitably an abandoned eyesore -- until it's purchased and renovated top to bottom by London billionaire, Xavier Darling. Xavier hires Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton as his general manager, and Lizbet, in turn, pulls together a charismatic, if inexperienced, staff who share the vision of turning the fate of the hotel around. They face challenges in getting along with one another (and with the guests), in overcoming the hotel's bad reputation, and in surviving the (mostly) harmless shenanigans of Grace Hadley herself - who won't stop haunting the hotel until her murder is acknowledged.

 

With a Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz.

It is M's funeral. One man is missing from the graveside: the traitor who pulled the trigger and who is now in custody, accused of M's murder - James Bond. Behind the Iron Curtain, a group of former Smersh agents want to use the British spy in an operation that will change the balance of world power. Bond is smuggled into the lion's den - but whose orders is he following, and will he obey them when the moment of truth arrives? In a mission where treachery is all around and one false move means death, Bond must grapple with the darkest questions about himself. But not even he knows what has happened to the man he used to be.

 

Every Cloak Rolled in Blood by James Lee Burke.

Novelist Aaron Holland Broussard is shattered when his daughter Fannie Mae dies suddenly. As he tries to honor her memory by saving two young men from a life of crime amid their opioid-ravaged community, he is drawn into a network of villainy that includes a violent former Klansman, a far-from-holy minister, a biker club posing as evangelicals, and a murderer who has been hiding in plain sight. Aaron's only ally is state police officer Ruby Spotted Horse, a no-nonsense woman who harbors some powerful secrets in her cellar. Despite the air of mystery surrounding her, Ruby is the only one Aaron can trust. That is, until the ghost of Fannie Mae shows up, guiding her father through a tangled web of the present and past and helping him vanquish his foes from both this world and the next.

 

Adult Non-Fiction

Crystals by Sadie Kadlec.

Harmonize and heal your body, spirit and mind with this lavishly illustrated crystal encyclopedia! Featuring layered profiles of 200 of the most important crystals, discover each stone's individual properties and find which one is right for you. Learn how to harness their powers to cleanse the energy in your home, bring focus to your work and enhance connection in your relationships. Create stunning crystal grids with ease and invite crystals into your wellness practices -- meditation, yoga, massage and in the bath -- to bring a deeper layer of positive energy into your self-care. This beautiful, practical crystal reference book will show you how to use crystals in the modern age and take charge of each day with intention.

 

Epic Hikes of the Americas by Lonely Planet.

Lace up your hiking boots for the next in Lonely Planet's highly successful Epic Hikes series, this time exploring 50 of the Americas' most rewarding treks and trails. From Canada's longest hut-to-hut hike, the Sunshine Coast Trail, to a descent through Havasu Canyon in the USA, and the Santa Cruz Trail of northern Peru, we cover a huge variety of themes and experiences across routes that range from one-day walks to multi-day treks.

 

Easy/Juvenile/Young Adult/Graphic Novel

What is the AIDS Crisis? by Nico Medina.  J NF

In the early 1980s, the first cases of a devastating and fatal new disease appeared, a disease that at first struck only gay men and was later identified as HIV/AIDS. It was the beginning of what became a worldwide health crisis that the US government ignored for years and that unfairly heightened prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. To this day, the AIDS Crisis continues to disproportionately affect both the LGBTQ+ community and people of color. Nico Medina has written an accurate and affecting history of a terrible time, spotlighting the heroic efforts of AIDS activists who fought for medical research and new medicines, for proper health care for patients, and for compassionate recognition of people with AIDS.

 

X-Men Legends: The Missing Links by Fabian Nicieza, Louise Simonson, & Peter David.  GN

"Fabian Nicieza kicks things off with a special saga of Cyclops and Havok, as the Shi'ar return to Earth in search of the Forsaken One! As the Summers brothers search for answers, the full truth behind Adam-X's lineage is revealed in a story nearly 30 years in the making! Then, Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson once again pit the original X-Factor against their arch-nemesis Apocalypse! As the dread villain's full plan unfolds, things go from bad to worse--and X-Factor must save Cyclops' baby, Nathan Christopher Summers, from the clutches of a deadly attacker!"-- Provided by publisher

Brooke County Public Libraries    Wellsburg (304) 737-1551    Follansbee (304) 527-0860

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

August 10, 2022 - Staff Reviews


Wild Storm
By Richard Castle
Release Date: May 13, 2014
Ebook Available from WV Reads!


3 Stars - Another fun action-packed little thriller in the short Derek Storm series, perfect for spy junkies and tv crime show lovers. Storm is on the hunt for some techno terrorists and it's just another day in the life saving the world for him. He hits several fun places like the African desert and sea faring expensive yachts and hooks up with some old friends.

Derek Storm is of course the fictional brain child of the also fictional Richard Castle. Fans of the tv show Castle should absolutely give this series a try and even some who have never heard of it. These are just easy, clean fun with heaps of drama to keep the story a little more grounded. Storm is the very James Bond - esque hero who is nearly perfect of course. But Storm has such a vivid sense of humor and enough of a quirky though process, we lesser humans can enjoy him too. A handful of his favorite past sidekicks return as well as some new friends.

The picture of the Sphinx on the front is slightly misleading. There is an archeologist, treasure hunting angle to the plot. But it's relatively small. Mostly, Storm is tracking terrorists who crashed several planes. Naturally, in true Castle style, everything is not as it seems at first. It's always fun in the Castle stories to guess who the real bad guy is, and this novel is no different. A few scenes sort of dragged the story down, as I've never been a fan of Castle's morbid side or the paragraphs that are prone to overdramatics. And a couple feel slightly out of place. But except for a few bumps, the ride is mostly smooth and fast-paced. Storm's on and off love interest Clara Strike shows up to throw in a little romance. And junior lady badass Katie Comely (yes, very Bond girl) makes for a fun new addition to the character dynamics.  The villians and frenemies are no less intriguing. Basically, if you're reading this series or just looking for some weekend book popcorn, you'll be entertained. Just don't take it too seriously.

(NS)

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

August 9, 2022 - Book Club Preview


Hello, book lovers!

We're excited to share our August book club pick for 2022 at Brooke County Public Libraries. This month are reading The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.


Our meeting will be held on Thursday, August 25th at 5pm! Meeting will be option virtual and in-person at BCPL.

About the book -

Sam Spade is hired by the fragrant Miss Wonderley to track down her sister, who has eloped with a louse called Floyd Thursby. But Miss Wonderley is in fact the beautiful and treacherous Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and when Spade's partner Miles Archer is shot while on Thursby's trail, Spade finds himself both hunter and hunted: can he track down the jewel-encrusted bird, a treasure worth killing for, before the Fat Man finds him? 

About the author-

Hammett was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland on May 27, 18. He died on January 10, 1961 most famous for his crime and mystery thrillers, many turned into popular Hollwood movies. Also wrote as Peter Collinson, Daghull Hammett, Samuel Dashiell, Mary Jane Hammett. Born as Samuel Dashiell Hammett, he was an American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse). In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."




Intrigued by the book? Check out our ebook copy on WV Reads!
https://wvreads.overdrive.com/wvreads-wvlc/content/media/507682



Images and info are courtesy of WV Reads, Google, and Goodreads.

Thursday, August 4, 2022

August 4, 2022 - Staff Review


 

The Cowboy She Loves to Hate
By Maisey Yates
Release Date: December 1, 2021
Ebook Available from WV Reads!


2 Stars - A little novella that's got a bit of an indentity crisis. It's still a short, easy, and fun read. Nelly is your ultra cliche girl next door who has long been crushing on Tag. The surprise is that he's been adoring her from afar just as long. A quick steamy little story that's sure to entertain for an hour or two.

Maisey Yates appears to be onto quite a series here, but I confess I couldn't figure out if this was the first one or not. Tag's family has quite a bit going on that's left very vague and mysterious. That would've been okay had his family history not factored in so much to his life choices. Nelly's backstory is more believable and even likable despite being a bit predictable. Both these two were clearly enamored of each other and had tension in spades, surprising for such a short story. The sparks were flying between them immediately but they were both pretty immature in different ways.

So this felt more like an episode of TV's Yellowstone more than a western novella. At first, the dialouge felt very historical and then it was just an accent, I guess. Yates didn't really have enough pages to draw any tension here. But there was oddly a lot of build up to the few scenes these two are steaming up the pages. Nelly's inexperience with everything from life to relationships is her number one feature. But I had to give her credit for being more emotionally stable than I expected given her rather intense personality. Tag's supposedly protective of Nelly but his actions just don't seem to match up with his attitude. He was the more unstable of the two. Their reasoning to not be together was very thin, and they felt like they were 21 the whole time not later 30. Anyway, this is an intense novella perfect for anyone looking for a cute childhood friends to lover romance will probably enjoy.

(NS)

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

August 3, 2022 - BCPL Salty Seas Reads


Looking for a read that will take you sailing across the seven seas? Or maybe you just enjoy nautical fiction?

Look no further than these titles available from Brooke County Libraries! All of the following fiction novels are available as ebook copies or at one of our locations.


Sea Change by Karen White
For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-four, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia. But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. There is much she doesn’t know about Matthew, including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death.



A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.



Captive of My Desires by Johanna Lindsey
Gabrielle Brooks sets sail from England to a Caribbean island in search of her estranged father and encounters a life-altering surprise -- her father is a pirate! After spending three wonderful years hunting treasure with him, Gabrielle is dismayed when he decides she must return to London to find a proper husband. His old friend James Malory will sponsor her in polite society. Gabrielle is escorted to balls and parties by James's wife, Georgina, and her brother, Drew Anderson, a dashing American sea captain and fun-loving rogue. When Drew embroils Gabrielle in a scandal the night before he's to sail home, the pirate's daughter vows revenge by commandeering Drew's ship and taking him prisoner. But as passion runs high on their sea voyage, it becomes difficult to tell who is truly the captor and who is the captive. 


Pirate by Clive Cussler & Robin Burcell
An 800-year-old treasure... an ancient cypher wheel... a brutal murder... and a man who will stop at nothing to claim what he considers rightfully his. Husband-and-wife treasure-hunting team Sam and Remi Fargo have gone on impossible missions before and faced many perils, but never have they faced an adversary as determined as the one before them now. The battle will take them halfway around the world, and at its end will be either one of the most glorious finds in history — or certain death.


Gift from the Sea by Anna Schmidt
A steadfast faith kept nurse Maggie Hunter going through the darkest days of the Great War. But her fiance's death overseas shattered her trust in God and her heart. Now an injured man has washed up on the shores of her Nantucket home, and to save him, Maggie must put more than her skill and dedication on the line....Wartime tragedy cost Stefan Witte everything--and converted him to the cause of peace. But to deliver vital information to American authorities, he must fight Maggie's stubborn refusal to believe or forgive. Soon he will risk his life to win her trust--and their heaven-sent future together.


Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
Jamaica in 1665 is a rough outpost of the English crown, a minor colony holding out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, Jamaica′s capital, a cut-throat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses, is devoid of London′s luxuries; life here can end swiftly with dysentery or a dagger in your back. But for Captain Charles Hunter it is a life that can also lead to riches, if he abides by the island′s code. In the name of His Majesty King Charles II of England, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking. And law in the New World is made by those who take it into their hands.


A Sunless Sea by Anne Perry
Monk's old superior Runcorn was first on the scene for Lambourn, and now suspects government suppression. Lambourn's beautiful wife wife Dinah, lies about her whereabouts, denies accusations, but Monk must arrest her despite his belief in her innocence. While public, press, government, and biased judge push for quick hanging before Xmas, Monk, his spirited wife Hester, and their brilliant barrister friend Oliver Rathbone, search for answers. From dank waterfront alleys to London’s fabulously wealthy West End, the three trail an ice-blooded murderer toward the unbelievable, possibly unproveable truth—and ultimately engage their adversaries in an electric courtroom duel.


Sail by James Patterson & Howard Roughan
Since the death of her husband, Anne Dunne and her three children have struggled in every way. In a last ditch effort to save the family, Anne plans an elaborate sailing vacation to bring everyone together once again. But only an hour out of port, everything is going wrong. The teenage daughter, Carrie, is planning to drown herself. The teenage son, Mark, is high on drugs and ten-year-old Ernie is nearly catatonic. This is the worst vacation ever. Anne manages to pull things together bit by bit, but just as they begin feeling like a family again, something catastrophic happens. Survival may be the least of their concerns.


The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners by Luanne Rice
A legendary island steeped in the mystery and wisdom of centuries…  A runaway heiress learning to trust life, and love…  A mother and daughter, separated for years, searching for a way to face the future together…



Sailing to Capri by Elizabeth Adler
When English tycoon Sir Robert Waldo Hardwick dies mysteriously in a car accident, he leaves behind a note naming six people he suspects might have wanted him dead. Daisy Kean, and P.I. Harry Montana team up to take the suspects--and also six 'red herrings'--on a fabulous Mediterranean cruise, all expenses paid by the late Sir Robert.  As they call at Monte Carlo, St. Tropez and Sorrento, the mystery deepens.  And the unexpected twists are just the beginning. 


A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch
1873 is a perilous time in the relationship between France and England. When a string of English spies is found dead on French soil, the threat of all-out war prompts government officials to ask Charles Lenox to visit the newly-dug Suez Canal on a secret mission. Once he is on board the Lucy, however, Lenox finds himself using not his new skills of diplomacy but his old ones: the ship's second lieutenant is found dead on the voyage's first night, his body cruelly abused. The ship's captain begs the temporarily retired detective to join in the hunt for a criminal. Lenox finds the trail, but in the claustrophobic atmosphere on board, where nobody can come or go and everyone is a suspect, he has to race against the next crime—and also hope he won't be the victim.


Two if by Sea by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Just hours after his wife and her entire family perish in the Christmas Eve tsunami in Brisbane, American expat and former police officer Frank Mercy goes out to join his volunteer rescue unit and pulls a little boy from a submerged car, saving the child’s life with only seconds to spare. In that moment, Frank’s own life is transformed. Not quite knowing why, Frank sidesteps the law, when, instead of turning Ian over to the Red Cross, he takes the boy home to the Midwestern farm where he grew up. Not long into their journey, Frank begins to believe that Ian has an extraordinary, impossible telepathic gift; but his only wish is to protect the deeply frightened child. 



Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea by Nancy Atherton
Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity novels have enchanted thousands of readers, and this new addition to the series is likely to broaden the spell. A series of death threats sends Lori Shepard to a remote island off the Scottish coast and to a fabulous castle restored by an eccentric friend of her husband's. But she finds herself drawn into an elaborate whodunit that may involve smuggling- or worse. Why has a human skull washed up on the beach? Is a desolate island really the best place to hide from a murderer? As Lori draws once more on Aunt Dimity's supernatural aid, Atherton whips equal measures of whimsy and suspense into an irresistible confection.


Set Sail for Murder by Carolyn Hart
When retired newspaper reporter Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins, Henrie O to her friends, receives a call for help, she discovers that love once kindled never burns to ashes. Although she refused Jimmy Lennox’s marriage proposal, there is still a special place for him in her heart. She wished him well when he found happiness with Sophia Montgomery, world-famous documentary filmmaker and stepmother to the now grown heirs of a great fortune. Sophia is at odds with the heirs, and Jimmy fears for her safety. He asks Henrie O to come along with the family on a Baltic cruise. Henrie O can’t turn down her old friend, though old passions are stirred when he calls.



Pirate by Ted Bell
Aboard a ship in the south of France, an American spy faces certain torture and death for the vital, explosive intelligence he possesses. In Paris, a ruthless and powerful descendant of Napoleon has forged an unholy alliance with China for its growing nuclear arsenal, poised to send America and the world to the brink of a gut-wrenching showdown. Now, in a maelstrom of razor's-edge danger, Alex Hawke must enter the nightmare visions of madmen to defuse an axis of evil no historian could have predicted -- and no living soul would survive.



Did we leave out any of your favorite sea-worthy tales? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you in the comments sections on our pages or in person.


Images and info are courtesy of Google, WV Reads, and Goodreads.