Meet Our New Teen Intern: Riley!

Every summer the Sandy Library hires a teen intern who gets the opportunity to learn the library system, as well as select a special project to take on and work on throughout the course of the summer.

This year, Riley Berg will be joining the Sandy Library!

Here's a little bit more about Riley: 

Name: Riley Berg

Age: 17 

School/Year: Junior (Soon to be a senior next school year!)

Favorite Subject in School: I love my history and English classes because of the teachers, but I have a soft spot for science.

School Extracurriculars: I act in the fall play and spring musicals, I am in the symphonic choir, Green Club, Aquanauts (a club dedicated to oceanic exploration/conservation), I write for the Pioneer Press at Sandy High, and am also a member of NHS!

What inspired you to intern at the library: I've always loved libraries, and spent so much time in them as a child. In grade school, I opted to stay in most recesses and help the librarians, earning the title of a library helper. In my recent years, the Sandy Library has always been a place I've felt welcomed and I wanted to be able to extend that towards others by interning here. 

What are you most excited about in your internship: I am very excited to see how the programs/activities I am able to create are able to come to fruition. I am currently workshopping an event based on the life cycle of a salmon which would explore keystone species and the unique traits salmon have!!

What is your favorite book: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, it's the perfect length book to bring along for a short trip, I've read it at least thrice. 

What is your favorite book series: My favorite book series is the Alice Oseman books, which are Solitaire, Radio Silence, Loveless, and I Was Born for This. While they were not technically published as a series they all follow stories set within the same world and characters. I love her writing style and the realistic ways she depicts characters. 

If you could see any book or series made into a tv/movie what would it be and why: I would love to see the book The Secret History by Donna Tartt made into a movie. It would make the most beautiful mystery on screen!

Favorite literary hero/heroine: Despite how cliché it may be I've always loved Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. 

What's next for you after high school: I am planning to attend Oregon State University and study nuclear engineering! Although I am partial to biology and environmental sciences, therefore my focus of study may change. 

Thanks Riley and welcome to the team! We can't wait to see all that you do! 

Juneteenth Reads

Annually on June 19th we recognize Juneteenth. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery, when on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordan Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War. 

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, although it has been celebrated by many communities including Galveston, TX since 1866. In 1872, Emancipation Park in Houston was created to host annual Juneteenth celebrations. Texas would later become the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday in 1980, with several other states following suit. 

Want to learn more about Juneteenth and it's history, here are some of the books available in the LINCC system all about Juneteenth.

For Kids:

Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper

"Mazie is ready to celebrate liberty. She is ready to celebrate freedom. She is ready to celebrate a great day in American history. The day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Mazie remembers the struggles and the triumph, as she gets ready to celebrate Juneteenth"

All Different Now by Angela Johnson

"In 1865, members of a family start their day as slaves, working in a Texas cotton field, and end it celebrating their freedom on what came to be known as Juneteenth."

Juneteenth Is by Natasha Tripplett

"This book is an ode to the history of the Black community in the United States, a tribute to Black joy, and a portrait of familial love"--

A girl contemplates what Juneteenth means to her, her family, and her community."

For Young Adults: 

Come Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi

"Fourteen-year-old Luli and her family face tragedy after failing to tell their slaves that President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made them free."

Adult Fiction:

Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison

"The story of a black man who passes for white and becomes a race-baiting U.S. senator. When he is shot on the Senate floor, the first visitor in hospital is a black musician-turned-preacher who raised him. As the two men talk, their respective stories come out"

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

"Fleeing his violent master at the side of abolitionist John Brown at the height of the slavery debate in mid-nineteenth-century Kansas Territory, Henry pretends to be a girl to hide his identity throughout the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859."

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

"Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned across the years to save him. After this first summons, Dana is drawn back, again and again, to the plantation to protect Rufus and ensure that he will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana's ancestor. Yet each time Dana's sojourns become longer and more dangerous, until it is uncertain whether or not her life will end, long before it has even begun."

Adult Non-Fiction:

On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

"It is staggering that there is no date commemorating the end of slavery in the United States." -Annette Gordon-Reed. The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth's integral importance to American history, as told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Texas native. Interweaving American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed, the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s, recounts the origins of Juneteenth and explores the legacies of the holiday that remain with us. From the earliest presence of black people in Texas-in the 1500s, well before enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown-to the day in Galveston on June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery, Gordon-Reed's insightful and inspiring essays present the saga of a "frontier" peopled by Native Americans, Anglos, Tejanos, and Blacks that became a slaveholder's republic. Reworking the "Alamo" framework, Gordon-Reed shows that the slave-and race-based economy not only defined this fractious era of Texas independence, but precipitated the Mexican-American War and the resulting Civil War. A commemoration of Juneteenth and the fraught legacies of slavery that still persist, On Juneteenth is stark reminder that the fight for equality is ongoing"

Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration by Edward T. Cotham

"Juneteenth has been touted as a national day celebrating the end of slavery. Observances from coast to coast have turned this event into part of the national conversation about race, slavery, and how Americans understand, acknowledge, and explain what has been called the national 'original sin.' But, why Juneteenth? Where did this celebration--which promises to become a national holiday--come from? What is the origin story? What are the facts, and legends, around this important day in the nation's history? This is the first scholarly book to delve into the history behind Juneteenth. Using decades of research in archives around the nation, this book helps separate myth from reality and tells the story behind the celebration in a way that provides new understanding and appreciation for the event."

Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations by Nicole A. Taylor

"The very first cookbook to celebrate Juneteenth, from food writer and cookbook author Nicole A. Taylor--who draws on her decade of experiences observing the holiday"--Amazon.
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, General Order No. 3 informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. In 1866, Juneteenth celebrations were celebrated with music, dance, and BBQs. Taylor bridges the traditional African American table and twenty-first century flavors with stories and recipes that will inspire parties to salute the holiday, or to help you create moments to savor joy all year round."

July Book Club Picks!

Here are what the Sandy and Hoodland book clubs have decided to read in July:

Men's Book Club

Monday, July 7
7:00 PM
Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Digital Book Club 

Digital book club is cancelled for July. 

For further information and to receive the Zoom link, contact Kat Aden: kaden@ci.sandy.or.us

Women's Book Club

Women's book club is cancelled for July due to the Sandy Mountain Festival Parade. 

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Hoodland Book Club

Tuesday, July 15

4:00 PM

Hoodland Community Room

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jessamyn Ward

For further information please contact Alex Steinmetz: asteinmetz@ci.sandy.or.us

Sandy Seed Library News - June 2025

 

Happy June, Gardeners!

Summer is just around the corner and I am itching to get my seed starts outside. But I think I will just appreciate the time I have to do some general garden maintenance before all my time is taken up with my new plants.

NEW Libby Feature! Skip the Line with Lucky Day Titles

If you're an avid Libby user, you may have noticed a new feature! 

Libby now features Lucky Day titles!

Lucky Day titles are the hottest new books available, and no holds are allowed, so if you're lucky enough, one of those titles on your wish list will be available when you're looking for a new read! 

You'll recognize these Lucky Day titles by the shamrock!

June Book Club Picks!

 Here are what the Sandy and Hoodland book clubs have decided to read in June

Men's Book Club

Monday, June 2nd
7:00 PM
Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Digital Book Club 

Thursday, June 5th
7:00 PM
Online via Zoom

A Black Women's History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross

For further information and to receive the Zoom link, contact Kat Aden: kaden@ci.sandy.or.us

Women's Book Club

Thursday, June 12th

6:00 PM

Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Hoodland Book Club

Tuesday, June 17th

4:00 PM

Hoodland Community Room

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

For further information please contact Alex Steinmetz: asteinmetz@ci.sandy.or.us

10 Books Turning 100 in 2025

1925 was a big year. The Chicago World's Fair opened, The New Yorker published their first issue, Mussolini proclaimed himself dictator, and several books we now consider classics hit the shelves. 

While books may seem standard now, the process by which they were created in the 1920s was much more time consuming, and made books just a little bit more rare and special. 

If you're thinking of adding to your 2025 reading list and want to turn back to the classics, here are 10 books turning 100 this year:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Arguably one of the most read novels of the 20th century, F. Scott Fitzgerald's story of a mysterious millionaire and the love that got away has captured the minds of audiences for a century. 

Although it was not a best-seller at the time (having sold less than 25,000 copies when Fitzgerald was alive), it has gone on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide. This may largely be thanks to the fact that 150,000 copies were shipped to American soldiers during WWII.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf's fourth novel, Mrs. Dalloway, has often been compared to James Joyce's Ulysses. Known for its stream-of-consciousness style of writing, it initially left readers bewildered, but charmed critics.

Today, Mrs. Dalloway is praised for its subject matter, and even though the novel only takes place over a few short hours, themes like existentialism, homosexuality, feminism, and mental illness are explored. 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos

While Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is most widely known as a film starring Marilyn Monroe, Anita Loos' 1925 book is worth a read. 

Beginning as a series of stories that Loos had written for Harper's Bizarre, the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes series boosted circulation and was so popular that it was turned into a novelization! 

A more lighthearted look at the Jazz Age, the antics of Lorelei Lee still resonate and entertain today. 

In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway

We can't discuss 1920s literature and not include a Hemingway release. Hemingway's first collection of short stories was released in the US in 1925 (a French version was released the year prior). 

These vignettes are not traditionally structured, and unlike other Hemingway pieces, they are often the subject of debate among Hemingway scholars. They are more rhythmic and lyrical than Hemingway's traditional writing style and were likely influenced by Hemingway's work with Ezra Pound. 

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

If you are a fan of true crime, Theodore Dreiser's novel is for you. Based on the 1906 murder of Grace Brown, Dreiser's novelization is an early example of novels being derived from real cases. 

Although a lesser known novel than some other 1925 releases, in 2005 Time magazine put it on their list of 100 best novels written in English. It has also been adapted into a play, a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor, and has influenced several other works throughout the years. 

The Trial by Franz Kafka

The Trial by Franz Kafka was written between 1914 and 1915, but published posthumously by Max Brod in 1925. This unfinished novel tells the story of Josef K., who has been arrested by a remote, inaccessible authority. 

Often thought of as the inspiration for the term Kafkaesque, it was heavily influenced by Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. 

Although Kafka's final vision of The Trial is unknown, it has still been listed as one of the best books of the 20th century. 

Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis

Although Sinclair Lewis is most remembered for his novel Main Street, his novel Arrowsmith deserves an honorable mention. After its release in 1925, Arrowsmith won the Pulitzer Prize in 1926 (which Lewis declined).

The story focuses on Martin Arrowsmith as he navigates the world of science and medicine in the 1920s. Known for its social commentary on the state of medicine and science, Arrowsmith would go on to be an inspirational novel for generations of pre-med and medical students. 

Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Like many of the other books on this list, Carry On, Jeeves began as a collection of stories in the Saturday Evening Post. 

Following the antics of Jeeves and his "master" Wooster, the stories in Carry On, Jeeves are lighthearted, full of funny antics, and fun to read. 

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

Although The Painted Veil was initially serialized in magazines in both the US and UK a year earlier, 2025 marks the hundred-year anniversary of this W. Somerset Maugham classic. 

The story of toxic relationships set against the backdrop of the Cholera epidemic in Hong Kong, The Painted Veil had its share of controversy upon its release. After the publishers lost a libel lawsuit, thousands of books had to be recalled and the characters last names changed from Lane to Fane. 

It has been adapted as a theatrical play, and made into a movie three times— in 1934, 1957, and 2006. 

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

The most infamous book on this list, Mein Kampf is Adolf Hitler's 1925 autobiographical manifesto. Volume 1 was released in 1925, with volume 2 following in 1926. 

Written while Hitler was in prison, Mein Kampf outlines Hitler's political beliefs, ideologies, and future plans for Germany. Between its release in 1925 and Hitler becoming Chancellor to Germany in 1933, 230,000 copies had been sold. After Hitler came to power, sales skyrocketed, and by 1939 5.2 million copies had been sold in 11 languages.

Sandy Seed Library News - May 2025

 

Happy May, Gardeners!

Some of you may remember my call for landscaping volunteers over a year ago. We got a core group together, and in the fall of 2023 we created the lofty goal of removing plants that raised pedestrian and traffic safety concerns due to limiting visibility, and we decided we should replace some plants with pollinator-friendly natives to help us with our Bee City, USA initiative. We applied for a grant from the Xerces Society in the spring of 2024 and were awarded a wildflower and grassland kit. Our lead volunteer, Tom Ibsen, created a landscaping design and planted all 100 plants! The plants are still young, but they are strong and healthy. If you would like to see what a pollinator-friendly native garden bed design looks like, stop by the southeast corner of the library (the back corner on Shelley Ave).

If you are interested in joining the efforts to keep our newly planted beds weed-free, please let me know!

  

Photo 1: March 2024, after removing shrubs that produced toxic berries and a dead tree. 

Photo 2: November 2024, after the installation of our native plants. 

Photo 3: April 2025, our healthy and strong natives after a productive winter rest. 

May Book Club Picks

Here are what the Sandy and Hoodland book clubs have decided to read in May!

Digital Book Club 

Thursday, May 1
7:00 PM
Online via Zoom

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

For further information and to receive the Zoom link, contact Kat Aden: kaden@ci.sandy.or.us

Men's Book Club

Monday, May 5th
7:00 PM
Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Women's Book Club

Thursday, May 8th

6:00 PM

Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Hoodland Book Club

Tuesday, May 20th

4:00 PM

Hoodland Community Room

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

For further information please contact Alex Steinmetz: asteinmetz@ci.sandy.or.us

Celebrate Teen Literature Day and Meet Our NEW Teen Librarian Kris!

April 17, 2025, is Celebrate Teen Literature Day, a day to promote the love of reading for teens! 

At the end of 2024, the Sandy and Hoodland Libraries welcomed a new teen librarian, Kris Ritchie, so we though Teen Literature Day was a perfect time to introduce you to Kris and his views and thoughts on teen literature! 

Did you always want to be a librarian? 

I actually thought I wanted to be an English teacher before I became a librarian. But then I thought back on how much of a smart aleck I was in school, and thought karma would get me back tenfold. Librarian then made the most sense to me, and I never looked back!

What made you choose teen literature in particular? 

Teens to me are where we are most likely to lose people's interest in the library. Children come to the library for storytime, and adults with new kids or elderly patrons also are regular patrons we can expect to see. However teens, who are at the age when you discover who you want to be and what to think of the world around you, are not given as high a priority in most community building endeavors. We, as librarians, have to make an effort to really show the teens that the library is still there and can provide resources and services catered to them. 

 

Why do you think adult readers are drawn to teen literature?

I think adults are drawn to teen lit for many different reasons, with some of the biggest being the same reasons teens read too. Teen lit is always in conversation with the real world, either in framing current events or comparing different eras/fantasy worlds to our own. Young adult books also are easily identifiable in genre by the way a cover is designed: two people holding hands and pastels? Slice-of-life romance, maybe a romcom. Dark, brooding colors with large letters or a single prominent object? Likely a thriller or dark fantasy. Finally, YA books in almost every genre are all about exploration and discovery. Even as adults, it's fun to read these books and discover another way of looking at the world or experience the viewpoint of someone radically different from yourself. 

What is your favorite YA book? 

At the moment, I really enjoyed H.E. Edgmon's The Witch King duology.

What is your favorite YA series?

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Celtic magic and lore meets Game of Thrones-esque levels of character drama.

Which books have the best YA cover art?

See above, Three Dark Crowns! Also, anything Victoria Schwab.

If you could drop into any YA fantasy world, which one would it be and why?

Oh dear, I read a lot of post-apocalyptic and dark fantasy so I don't really have a definitive answer for you. I would say the world of Tara Sims' Timekeeper trilogy only because it is not grim dark, and features a magic system in which clock towers running down and stopping can actually STOP time. It turns into this sprawling epic about enslaved clock spirits, eternal life, and trying to control what shouldn't be controlled.

Book or series coming out that you're most excited about? 

I am really enjoying the new Marvel Ultimate Universe comic line, so I am excited to keep reading Ultimate Spider-man, Avengers, Black Panther, and more. It twists and reimagines the marvel heroes and villains just enough to make it feel fresh.

Which teen book or series would you like to see be made into a movie? 

The Woods by James Tynion IV. A graphic novel about a group of high schoolers who explore the wilderness of an alien(?) planet after their entire high school of over 500 people is magically transported off Earth. 

What is your favorite piece of classic teen literature? 

Define "classic." To me that can be anything that is as old as a teen itself! Growing up, I really enjoyed the Cirque Du Freak books by Darren Shan exploring the dark fantasy world of a teen who became a vampire. At a time when not a lot of YA literature was of the dark urban fantasy type, Cirque really stood out to me.

We are thrilled that Kris has joined our team and can't wait to see what he brings to the Sandy Public Library for our teens!

National Library Week and Fines for Food

Every year during National Library Week, the Sandy and Hoodland Libraries run their Fines for Food program. 

This is YOUR opportunity to not only pay off any of those pesky library fines but also give back to your community. 

Here's how it works:

During the week of April 6 - 12, come into either the Sandy or Hoodland Library branch to pay your overdue fees. Anything you pay, the library will match. 

So if you have $2 in fines, you can give the library $1, and we'll pay the other, wiping the slate clean. 

Pretty good deal right?

But it gets better!

Because not only will you get to pay your fines, but every dollar that is paid during Fines for Food week will be donated to the local food banks (Sandy Action Center in Sandy and Neighborhood Missions in Hoodland). 

Come say hello, grab a few new books, pay those fines, and give back to your community from April 6 to 12. 

April Seed Library News

 

Happy April, Gardeners!

It might not come as a surprise that I have trees on my mind when we have Arbor Day this month, so I wanted to share some interesting things I've learned about trees and how they support us. I read an interesting article from my realtor's magazine, American Lifestyle, called Miyawaki Forests are Taking Root, and it sent me on a journey to be continued further down the email.

In other news, if you missed the Edible Gardening Group meeting in March, I wanted to share one of the key takeaways that I got from Brandon of Slice of Heaven Farm: cultivate the soil around your veggies early and often (starting at about 2 weeks in) as this will keep weeds from having the chance to take root!

April Book Club Picks

   Here is what the Sandy and Hoodland libraries are reading in April!

Men's Book Club

Monday, April 7th
7:00 PM
Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Digital Book Club 

Thursday, April 3rd
7:00 PM
Online via Zoom

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

For further information and to receive the Zoom link, contact Kat Aden: kaden@ci.sandy.or.us

Women's Book Club

Thursday, April 10th

6:00 PM

Hoyt Community Room in the Sandy Library

Book Club Trivia Night

For further information please contact Maureen Houck: mhouck@ci.sandy.or.us

Hoodland Book Club

Tuesday, April 15th

4:00 PM

Hoodland Community Room

West With Giraffes by Linda Rutledge

For further information please contact Alex Steinmetz: asteinmetz@ci.sandy.or.us