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Tag Archives: Book Club
#BookFaceFriday “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah
The mountains are calling, and #BookFaceFriday must go.
Sometimes you find the perfect book club read, but if you’re really lucky, you find the perfect book club author. We think Kristin Hannah deserves such an honor. Her novels are hard to put down and full of great topics to spur discussion in your groups. NLC has seven Hannah titles in our Book Club Kit collection, including “The Great Alone” (Griffin, 2019). This book is available in both eBook and Audiobook formats in our Nebraska OverDrive Libraries collection, along with 16 other Kristin Hannah titles.
“There are many great things about this book…It will thrill her fans with its combination of Greek tragedy, Romeo and Juliet-like coming of age story and domestic potboiler. She recreates in magical detail the lives of Alaska’s homesteaders…and is just as specific and authentic in her depiction of the spiritual wounds of post-Vietnam America. A tour de force.”
―Kirkus (starred review)
Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive. 180 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 25,520 audiobooks, 32,303 eBooks, and 3,403 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
Rules for Book Club Kits
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
This week’s model is the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado! While we are very committed to getting the perfect #BookFace shot, we did not travel to Alaska for this week’s photo. Special thanks to my dad for waking up at the crack of dawn to stand on an overpass and hold a book for me.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn
Is it steamy out here, or is it just #BookFaceFriday?
A rakish rouge, a scheming debutante, a mysterious gossip column…what could go wrong? Whether or not you spent your pandemic binging Bridgerton on Netflix, why not read the series that inspired it? The Nebraska Library Commission has the first book in the series, The Duke and I, by Julia Quinn (Avon Books, 2000) in our Book Club Kit collection. You can browse the other romances in our Book Club Kits collection by choosing Romance in the Genre dropdown.
“Quinn is a consummate storyteller. Her prose is spry and assured, and she excels at creating indelible characters.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Rules for Book Club Kits
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, bookfacefriday, Bridgerton, Julia Quinn, Reading, romance
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#BookFaceFriday “Furia: A Novel” by Yamile Saied Méndez
Calling all YA readers with this week’s #BookFaceFriday!
Attention! Attention, please! We have an announcement: Book clubs are not just for adults. That’s all, thank you for coming to my TED Talk. But seriously, here at NLC, we have Book Club Kits for a wide range of readers. From fiction to nonfiction, translated books to Nebraska authors, and kids chapter books to adult titles. One such YA title is “Furia: A Novel” by Yamile Saied Méndez (Algonquin Young Readers, 2020.) This title is a Reese Witherspoon & Hello Sunshine YA Book Club pick and was a recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal. Whether your a school librarian, teen advisory group, or just looking to facilitate a summer reading group, we’re here for you. You can search our Book Club Kits collection by grade level or by choosing Young Adult in the Genre dropdown.
“Weaving rich cultural specifics and electric energy into her prose, Méndez crafts a dynamic, feminist narrative that commands attention from the very first line. At its core, this novel is a full-hearted love letter to Argentina and “incorrigible girls” everywhere, emboldening readers to stand up for themselves and chase the dreams they hold dear.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Rules for Book Club Kits
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
This week’s model is NLC’s Technology Innovation Librarian, Amanda Sweet! She’s our go-to model when a book cover needs a beautiful head of hair. Thank you, Amanda!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, bookfacefriday, Furia, Reading, YA books, Yamile Saied Méndez
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#BookFaceFriday “Next Year in Havana” by Chanel Cleeton
Things are heating up with this week’s #BookFaceFriday!
As summer temperatures rise so does our search for the perfect summer read, and maybe the perfect summer drink. A Tequila Mockingbird or Margarita Atwood anyone? We think this week’s title “Next Year in Havana: A Novel” by Chanel Cleeton (Berkley, 2018) has excellent potential, and would pair perfectly with an ice-cold Cuba Libre. Even if you don’t leave your backyard this summer, you can still take a trip with this Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Find all the most recently added books with the Browse New Additions search tool. We can’t wait to see what all of our book clubs think of our newest additions.
“A flat-out stunner of a book, at once a dual-timeline mystery, a passionate romance, and paean to the tragedy and beauty of war-torn Cuba. Simply wonderful!”
—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress
Rules for Book Club Kits
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
This week’s model is NLC’s Accountant, Laura Stueck! She might be the most important person at the NLC, because she’s the one who makes sure we all get paid!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, bookfacefriday, Chanel Cleeton, Next Year in Havana, Novel, Reading
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#BookFaceFriday “The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley
Sit back and relax with this #BookFaceFriday!
Every week the Nebraska Library Commission adds new titles to our Book Club Kits Collection! Some we purchase, some are donated by libraries and book clubs. We’ve recently gotten in some great titles, like “The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley (Penguin Books, 2020). From the Book Club Kits main page you can narrow your search to New Additions, browse by genre or subject matter, find copies of large-print or audio options, or dive into the list of read-a-likes we’ve compiled to help you find your group’s next book. Take a little time and explore all the Nebraska Library Commission’s Book Club Collection has to offer, we promise, you won’t be disappointed!
“The Authenticity Project reads like a gorgeous box of chocolates: sweet, surprising and impossible not to love. I found myself cheering, cringing, laughing and crying as I read this book and – above all – remembering the true value of community and human connection.”
—Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics
Rules for Book Club Kits
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
This week’s model is NLC staff member Chelsea Lemburg, she’s been working as our Library Innovation Studios Project Assistant but will be transitioning into her new position as Federal Documents Staff Assistant in July! We are so glad she’ll be staying with the NLC when the Library Innovation Studios grant is finished!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, bookfacefriday, Clare Pooley, Novel, Reading, The Authenticity Project
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Asian American & Pacific Islander Book Club Kits
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage month! If you are looking for a book club selection that explores and honors AAPI experiences, we have added a genre category to our Book Club Kit page to make it easier. Simply choose “Asian & Pacific Islander Lives” in the Genre dropdown menu to see all the titles available for request.
In addition, new categories have been added for Native American Lives, Black Lives, and Latinx Lives. Our book club kit collection has over 1900 titles and growing, so there is something for every group. Is your preferred title checked out? Don’t forget to check our read-alike page for similar suggestions to tide you over while you wait.
#BookFaceFriday “The Children’s Blizzard”
Get blown away by this #BookFaceFriday!
January 12, 1888, began as an unseasonably warm morning across Nebraska… but that’s not how it ended. Today for #BookFaceFriday we have a tale of two books, both titled “The Children’s Blizzard,” and both about that fateful snowstorm. And yes, they are both a part of one or more of our collections. First, we have “The Children’s Blizzard: A Novel” by Melanie Benjamin (Delacorte Press, 2021) is brand new to our Nebraska OverDrive Libraries collection, and it’s available in both eBook and Audiobook.
“In this piercingly detailed drama, riveting in its action and psychology, Benjamin reveals the grim aspects of homesteading, from brutal deprivations to violent racism toward Native Americans and African Americans, while orchestrating, with grace and resonance, transformative moral awakenings and sustaining love.”—Booklist (starred review)
Our second contender is “The Children’s Blizzard” by David Laskin (Harper Perennial; 3rd edition,2005.) A nonfiction title that is available in both our Book Club Kit Collection and as an eBook and Audiobook in Nebraska OverDrive Libraries.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books
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#BookFaceFriday “Code Talker” by Joseph Bruchac
“Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War II” by Joseph Bruchac (Dial Books, 2005) is a part of the NLC Book Club collection! Even better, your book club can celebrate Veteran’s Day all month long with our book club search engine’s Category setting. Quickly find fiction and non-fiction books covering the topic of War and Military Service.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Code Talker, Joseph Bruchac, Military, Veterans Day
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#BookFaceFriday – “Crooked Little Heart” by Anne Lamott
Game, Set, BookFace!
All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Leo Tolstoy said it best, dysfunctional families make for the best reads. Set your book club up for some great discussion with “Crooked Little Heart: A Novel” (Pantheon Books, 1997) by Anne Lamott. This national bestseller is a part of our book club kit collection and available for your next read!
“Lamott is at the top of her form in this complex coming-of-age novel in which tennis becomes the metaphor for life’s toughest lessons.”—Sue Grafton
Book Club Kits Rules for Use
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Anne Lamott, Book Club, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, Crooked Little Heart
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#BookFaceFriday – “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
Sweet summertime is so close, the days are getting warmer and all I can think about is that perfect summer read. Keep your book clubs going all summer with titles like “Where the Crawdads Sing” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018) by Delia Owens. This New York Times bestseller is a part of our book club kit collection and available for your group to borrow. Check out all of our Book Club titles!
“A painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature…Owens here surveys the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast through the eyes of an abandoned child. And in her isolation that child makes us open our own eyes to the secret wonders—and dangers—of her private world.”—The New York Times Book Review
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing
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#BookFaceFriday “The Boy in the Black Suit”
Everybody’s crazy for a sharp-dressed #BookFace!
We’re throwing back to this #BookFace as we celebrate Black History Month. The author, Jason Reynolds, was recently selected as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress! We highly recommend “The Boy in the Black Suit” by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015.) Not only was it the 2019 One Book for Nebraska Teens selection it’s also available as a part of the NLC Book Club collection. This excellent YA novel is also a 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. You can reserve this kit today for your youth book club!
This week’s #BookFace model is one of our Commissioners, Vernon J. Davis! He began his three-year term as Commissioner this past July after his appointment by Governor Pete Ricketts.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday – “Conversations with Friends” by Sally Rooney
Raise your hand if one of your New Year’s resolutions is to read more! One of the best ways to accomplish that goal is by joining a book club, and have some great ‘conversations with friends’ about books! “Conversations with Friends: A Novel” ( Hogarth, 2017) by Sally Rooney is a part of our book club kit collection. It’s also available to our Talking Book & Braille customers who are looking for a new read in the new year! Check out all of our Book Club titles and TBBS services to start tackling your goals today!
“An insightful look at what it’s like to be young, smart, and deeply confused about friendship and love . . . It’s like an Ask Polly letter in the form of a novel, in the best possible way.”—The Cut
This week’s #BookFace models are Anna Walter and Holly Atterbury, two of our Talking Book & Braille Service Library Readers Advisors!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel” by Heather Morris (Harper, 2018) is a part of the NLC Book Club collection! Even better, your book club can celebrate Veteran’s Day all month long with our book club search engine’s Category setting. Quickly find fiction and non-fiction books covering the topic of War and Military Service. “The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel” is based on the real-life experiences of a Holocaust survivor, historical fiction doesn’t get any better than this.
This week’s #BookFace models are current NLC Commissioner Arunkumar Pondicherry, and past NLC Commissioner Sandy White! Arun was appointed in 2018 to his first three-year term and Sandy just finished her three-year term just this month. A big thank you to all of our NLC Commissioners for their service on our board!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Heather Morris, The Tattooist of Auschwitz
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#BookFaceFriday – “Dracula” by Bram Stoker
Velcome to #BookFaceFriday!
Grab your garlic and wooden stakes, we’re wrapping up October with this classic tale of horror (Puffin Classics, 1994, first published 1897). Written as a series of journal entries and letters, it tells the story of the quest to destroy the evil Count Dracula and end his reign of terror.
“Those who cannot find their own reflection in Bram Stoker’s still-living creation are surely the undead .” — New York Times Review of Books
This week’s #BookFace model is our new TBBS Circulation Technician, Amy Irons!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Bram Stoker, Classic, Dracula, Gothic, Horror
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#BookFaceFriday “Skeleton Man” by Joseph Bruchac
This #BookFace is sure to get your blood pumping!
We are hitting our Halloween stride with this week’s #BookFaceFriday! “Skeleton Man” by Joseph Bruchac (HarperCollins, 2003) is a chilling middle-grade read. Full of missing parents, nightmares, and spooky stories this book club kit is a great way to learn about tribal legends. Reserve it for your youth book club today!
This week’s #BookFace model is our new TBBS Director, Gabe Kramer!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Joseph Bruchac, Skeleton Man, YA books
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#BookFaceFriday “The Ghost of Fossil Glen” by Cynthia Defelice
This #BookFace is a graveyard smash!
We are getting into the Halloween spirit with “The Ghost of Fossil Glen” by Cynthia Defelice (Square Fish, 2010.) It’s a 3-7 grade read with a teacher’s guide available. Just like a Nancy Drew mystery if she’d had a little paranormal help. Get it reserved for your youth book club today!
This week’s #BookFace model is Cathy Hatterman, NLC’s Acquisitions Librarian! Unfortunately, we did not have access to a graveyard so our stacks had to suffice for this week’s #BookFace photo.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “Maisie Dobbs” by Jacqueline Winspear
Hey, #BookFace fans, you can stand under my umbrella. 
We took advantage of yet another rainy day for this week’s #BookFaceFriday! “Maisie Dobbs” by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho Crime; 10th Anniversary ed. edition, 2014) is the first novel in what is now a series of fifteen books, 2 in the NLC Book Club collection! These well written, historical fiction novels begin in 1929 and revolve around the heroine’s newly opened private eye business. Fans from Veronica Mars to Downton Abbey will be able to appreciate this mystery series.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs
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#BookFaceFriday “Alias Grace” by Margaret Atwood
Is this #BookFace a Femme Fatale or Innocent Maiden?!
“Alias Grace” by Margaret Atwood (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017) is just one of several Atwood works in the NLC Book Club collection! Gear up for her new novel with more than a TV marathon, reserve any of her past works for your book club today.
This week’s #BookFace model is our NLC Commissioner Debby Whitehill Bloom! She was reappointed in 2018 to a second three-year term and is the current Commission Chair.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Alias Grace, Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Margaret Atwood
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#BookFaceFriday “The Boy in the Black Suit”
Everybody’s crazy for a sharp-dressed #BookFace!
“The Boy in the Black Suit” by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015) is the 2019 One Book for Nebraska Teens selection and a part of the NLC Book Club collection. This excellent YA novel is also a 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. You can reserve this kit today for your youth book club!
This week’s #BookFace model is our newest Commissioner Vernon J. Davis! He began his three-year term as Commissioner this July after his appointment by Governor Pete Ricketts. Welcome, Vernon!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Jason Reynolds, The Boy in the Black Suit
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#BookFaceFriday “The Woman in the Window”
I always feel like somebody’s watching me! 
It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . .
In honor of Friday the 13th, check out “The Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn (William Morrow, 2018) in the NLC Book Club collection. The ups and downs of an agoraphobic woman and what she thinks she’s witnessed will have you on the edge of your seat. A perfect fit for any Rear Window fans, or lovers of Tana French and Gillian Flynn. Browse this title or our entire collection at nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub today!
This week’s #BookFace model is our staff break room, more commonly known as the Crows Nest. No blinds were harmed in the making of the #BookFace.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General
Tagged "The Woman in the Window", A.J. Finn, Book Club, Book Club Kits, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books
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