I have struggled with money my entire life. I'm pretty young, so my entire life is shorter than many, but it's still a long time to deal with the stress of finances. My husband, Alex, and I started using the You Need a Budget (YNAB) software last month and when I found out that the founder wrote a book, I knew I needed to check it out. I needed to hear from someone who has a healthy relationship with money, because that person doesn't exist in my family, nor my husband's. 

I've learned a lot from using the software, but I really enjoyed getting explanations and examples in the book. YNAB is based around 4 rules and seeing those rules broken down into not only bite sized pieces but with real life examples really helped get me in the right mindset. 

If you're struggling with money, whether it's paying your rent or saving for vacation, definitely give this book (or the YNAB podcast) a try. Mecham's ideas around money are very comforting in that it feels like you'll be ahead in no time!  

If you enjoyed Dear Martin, Just Mercy, The Hate U Give, Anger is a Gift or any other recent book exploring racial injustice, you'll want to add this to your TBR pile. This story was really captivating. I couldn't put the book down. The main character is a powerful, strong, determined and inspiring young black woman. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, with no idea how the two storylines would coincide or even if they would. 

While this is a great read, it comes with a lot of trigger warnings: murder, lynching (historical), racism, white supremist groups, and maybe more that I hadn't considered. It's not a light read, but it is full of hope. 

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Oh my goodness, so much love for this. If you need a contemporary romance, if you loved To All The Boys I've Loved Before, if you need a good laugh, then you need this book. I learned about the Asian community (I knew so, so little, and still know barely anything), which is always a great thing. I was fully invested in the characters and all of the relationships. While there were plenty of things in this book I could not relate to at all, there were still plenty of moments and relationships that I completely understood. 

Dual point of view, college age protagonists, child-parent relationships, touching moments, and fake dating really make this story stand out. 

Grab this book. You won't be disappointed! 

I really enjoyed reading The Insomniacs by Marit Weisenberg. I feel like mysteries and thrillers are hard to find in the YA space without adding in fantasy elements. I started reading this on Halloween and it was the perfect amount of spooky-ness for the day. I was fully invested in the characters and while I had some idea of how the story would end, I did not predict the journey. The love-story was really well done too, with just enough to satisfy your need for a teen love story, without taking over the mystery and the atmosphere. I'd definitely read more of Weisenberg's books and I hope they keep writing. 

If you enjoy Karen McManus, or adult thrillers, you'll enjoy this fast paced read. 

   Where I got It: Library
   Format: Book
   Literary Rating: 3.5 stars
   Popularity Rating: 4 stars
   Genre: Mystery
   Audience: YA
   Publication Date: July 28, 2020
   Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
   Page Count: 224 pages

If you need a quick, page turning thriller/mystery, this is the book for you. It is full of suspense and not a single page feels unnecessary. It's short, to the point, and will have you on the edge of your seat.  
Our main character, Savannah, is kidnapped after a fight with her mother's boyfriend. The story focuses around Savannah trying to escape her kidnapper, with another girl Jenny, who was kidnapped 10 months earlier. The narrator shifts between Savannah, Jenny, Savannah's mom, the boy Savannah has a crush on, and a number of other characters who all bring the perfect perspective at the perfect moment. 

2020 has certainly been a heck of a year so far. In the midst of a global pandemic, I decided to leave my Library Director position for an Assistant Director position. It's a little farther from home, but the library, community, salary and room for growth are all bigger and better! 

I've been in this new job for almost 3 months and I'm still loving it as much as I did my first week. Starting a public facing job during a pandemic is strange; I've only met a handful of patrons and I've never seen the library truly busy. But it's also given me a chance to get to know the staff really well, and do some collection maintenance. 

I love the New Hampshire Library community, and I'm so glad I'm able to continue to be a part of it. 

This Was Our Pact is a kid's graphic novel that is beautiful in both art and storytelling. Full of fantasy and adventure, the story follows Ben, who makes a pact with his friends to follow the lanterns they release annually and finally see where they go. Ben and Nathaniel, the boy who tagged along, are the only two to see the pact through and on their adventure they find a witch, a talking bear, unlikely friendships and so much more. 

The art is stunning. The story has so much heart. I highly recommend this graphic novel to both kids and adults. 

One of the things I love most about graphic novels is how quickly you can read them compared to traditional novels. And yet, you still get an incredible story. 

​https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864829-this-was-our-pact

Hello, from quarantine! I'm reading a ton of books lately and realized I miss talking about them. I'm also getting a bunch of Advanced Reader Copies of books and I REALLY need a place to ramble about how amazing they are. So here I am!

It's such a weird time. The library is closed to the public. We're doing a lot virtually: programs, tech help, temporary library cards, more downloadable materials... but it doesn't replace the physical library and seeing our patrons every day. I know being closed is the best decision for us right now, but that doesn't make it easy.

I hope you, dear reader, are staying busy, sane and safe. And I hope you enjoy some upcoming book reviews!

​Justine

As the only full time Librarian at my library, I feel the Summer Burn Out a little faster than the other staffers here, but it's hitting us all hard. We're doing more programs than ever before and we've had more families than ever take part in them. It's great! It's exactly the boost we needed. But it's exhausting. 

I'm counting down the days until my long weekend away. I'm also counting down the days until our end of summer party. But at the same time, summer in New Hampshire is so short that I'd hate to wish it away. 

It's been a crazy 4 weeks and we have another 4 weeks to go. Wish me luck and maybe you'll hear from me soon... but more than likely you'll hear from me again in September.

Do you know which subject I hated most in high school? It was history. It was so boring to me. I couldn't have cared less about it. But now, I wish I had paid more attention. And I wish my U.S. history classes could have gotten past the 1920's. 

So I checked out some books. I did not check out long, over-complicated books explaining how and why events happened. I thought about it and then realized I'd never read them. Instead I checked out some kid's non-fiction. It's brief, to the point and has pictures. That's all I need. 

The series of non-fiction books is Monumental Milestones. I checked out the book on The Cuban Missile Crisis and the book on The Watergate Scandal. Both topics feel rather timely right now and I don't remember learning anything about them in high school other than they happened. These books had just the right amount of information so that I feel informed now but I didn't fall asleep reading them. 

I would absolutely recommend them for kids, and I'd recommend them for adults too. I'm not sure why adults seem to avoid kids' books, but I think they're perfect when you just need a refresher on a topic or some easy to digest information.