Ruiz, Miguel. The Four Agreements. San Rafael, Calif.: Amber-Allen Pub., 2012. [Carlsbad, Calif.] : Hay House ©1997.

Miguel Ángel Ruiz Macías, better known as don Miguel Ruiz, is a Mexican author. The most popular of his works “The Four Agreements, has been translated in 52 languages. A phenomenally written book, describing the source of self-limiting beliefs that humans make with themselves that causes their own needless suffering and robs us of joy. Based on ancient Toltec Wisdom, The Four Agreements offer new simple life goals that can radically and rapidly transform our lives. Short read, easy to follow along this book would be perfect for many ages and many stages. From the young adult just piecing the puzzles together to the grandparents reflecting on the legacy they are leaving behind. The Four Agreements is a must read for anyone committed to living life fully!!

These agreements can be found in various places (sometimes worded in different ways) from religious scriptures to universal laws.

• Be Impeccable with Your Word: Move with integrity; Say only what you mean.
• Don’t Take Things Personally: This agreement is a superpower. What others say & do is a projection of their own reality.
• Don’t Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really what.
• Always Do Your Best: Though your best will change at different times, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgement self-abuse and regret

 My favorite thing is that the agreements will put the responsibility back on us (the individual) accountability is at the forefront and that I appreciate.

Nicole Givens is the Children’s Programming Coordinator for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at ngivens@alamancelibraries.org.

When the temperature rises, so does our love of a good steamy romance! Here are some perfect choices for summer reads at the pool or on vacation.

At first spite : a Harlot’s Bay novel by Dade, Olivia – Athena is living in Spite House, which is an apt name for our 10-foot wide house attached to her ex Johnny’s house on one side, and just four feet away from her ex’s older brother on the other side! She wants to hate Johnny’s older brother Matthew, but he’s helpful, and listens to her, and he’s very sexy, even if he did convince Johnny to leave her.

Birding with benefits by Dubb, Sarah T. – The year of “yes” leads Celeste to agree to partner with John for a birding event (never mind that she knows nothing about birding). But several days in the Arizona wilderness with a patient teacher, who she realizes she is very attracted to, leads to them upgrading their relationship to “birders with benefits.” But when the event is over, will he fly away?

Triple sec : a novel by Alexander, T. J. – Mel is a bartender at an Instagram-worthy spot, and sees the good and the bad (mostly the bad) of dating every day. When Bebe and Kade walk into the bar, she’s intrigued by Bebe. Bebe and Kade have an open relationship, so Mel overcomes her hesitations and agrees to go on a date with Bebe. But she also feels chemistry and connection with Kade. Can they make a polyamorous relationship work?

Blood on the tide by Robert, Katee – Romantasy hits the high seas with Blood on the Tide. Lizzie is a vampire who is on the rampage, trying to get her family’s heirlooms back from the vicious Cŵn Annwn. She rescues a selkie named Maeve, who can help her get through the Threshold. Maeve forms an uneasy partnership with Lizzie to get her skin back, but she can’t help falling in love with the vampire’s bites.

That time I got drunk and saved a demon by Lemming, Kimberly – Cinnamon wants to live a quiet life, but that’s not to be, after she saves Fallon, a demon. Fallon is determined to kill the evil witch who is enslaving his people, and he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride.

The prospects : a novel by Hoffman, KT – Gene is the first openly transgender professional baseball player. When his former teammate/rival Luis is traded to his minor league team, their chemistry on and off the field is horrible (at first). But spending all that time together on the field and on the bus leads to tension and electric glances between them. Can they make their major league dreams come true?

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org.

When the temperatures are high, stay inside and read books about summer with your little ones! We recommend visiting the library as well, and enjoying our air conditioned children’s areas.

Summer by Wenxuan Cao – Teach your children about kindness and sharing with this delightful picture book! Each animal wants to have the small sliver of shade for themselves. However, after fighting, they realize that they can give each other shade if they work together!

Sari-sari summers by Bontigao, Lynnor – Nora loves her grandmother’s sari shop so much! When the temperatures soar, and no one is coming to the store, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets ripe mangoes from the tree outside and makes refreshing mango ices to share with their customers.

Hot city by Joosse, Barbara M. – Where do you go when the buses are expelling dragon fire, and your snow cone melts immediately? The library! We can’t argue with this book’s logic, as Mimi and Joe escape the heat at their local library and let their imaginations run free.

Think cool thoughts by Perry, Elizabeth – The hottest day of the year has Angel’s family feeling down. They decide to sleep on the roof that night, leading to an extraordinary night for Angel (and the relief of a rain shower the next morning).

Hot dog by Salati, Doug – It’s just too hot in the city, and this dog has had enough! He plops down in the middle of a crosswalk, and his owner picks him up. They travel by taxi, train and ferry to reach the beach, where they find cool water, stiff breezes, and all the room in the world to run!

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org.

We’re about halfway through our summer reading program, Adventure Begins at Your Library, so we’re sharing a list of children’s adventure novels (ages 7-14). Most of these were published in the last year, or are part of an ongoing series!

A Royal Conundrum (The Misfits Book 1) by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat (ages 8-12)

Every kid sometimes feels like a misfit, but Olive feels like one most of the time. When she’s sent to what she thinks is a reform school, she instead finds it is a secret spy school where she and her misfit classmates/friends can save the day by stopping the heist of the century!

Treasures of the Maya by Geronimo Stilton (ages 8-12)

Geronimo Stilton is the most anxious adventurous reporter mouse in the world! On his trip to Chichén Itzà, his sister Thea and an ancient Mayan necklace go missing, and Geronimo has to find them. The Geronimo Stilton books are colorful, action-packed and fun for kids to read.

Trim Saves the Day by Deborah Hopkinson (ages 7-10)

Trim the kitten loves being part of the ship’s crew, but hasn’t quite found his place yet. After trying several jobs, he discovers something big that requires all hands on deck! This is an intermediate reader, great for kids who are just starting to read chapter books. A second book in the series is coming in July.

Viewfinder by Christine D.U. Chung (ages 6-9)

A young explorer in the distant future lands on an uninhabited Earth. She finds a viewfinder, which shows her what Earth used to be. But she also finds signs that there might be someone else living on Earth now. This is a wordless graphic novel, perfect for those who love to tell the story themselves!

The Mapmakers and The Lost Magic; The Mapmakers and The Enchanted Mountain; The Mapmakers and The Flickering Fortress by Cameron Chittock (ages 8-12)

This relatively new series (books published in 2022, 2023 and 2024) features Adelaide, who wants to run away from home and the diabolical Night Coats, and the magical creature she accidentally awakens named Blue. Adelaide discovers the magical hideaway of the long-dormant Mapmakers, and begins a journey toward becoming a Mapmaker, abolishing the Night Coats and bringing peace and joy back to her world.

Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans by Isi Hendrix (ages 8-12)

This is the first of a trilogy about an African girl whose family believes she has a demon inside her. She gets a kitchen internship at the Academy of Shamans, runs away with cat Bubbles, and hopes she fits in better at the Academy (and that there’s someone who can cure her there). But what she finds is that she needs to harness her powers to exorcise a truly evil demon from the kingdom’s emperor! The second book in the series comes out in October.

The Minor Miracle: The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor (ages 10-14)

Sure, Noah fell out of a 16^th floor window when he was a baby, but his life has been pretty dull since then. He wants to be as amazing and talented as his two best friends, so he’s thrilled when, during a routine vision test, he finds out he can manipulate gravity and is recruited to train with Gravitas, a top-secret government agency. But Gravitas wants him to hunt down the one person who might be able to help him with his powers, his great-uncle Saul. The characters in this book are in 7th grade, making it perfect for those late elementary and middle school readers.

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller (ages 7-11)

Magnolia pins the lone socks she finds in her family’s laundromat to the bulletin board, but no one ever claims them. So, she and her new friend Iris from California decide to travel across the city to solve the mystery of each sock, and find out all kinds of interesting things along the way. This is a great early chapter book for kids in elementary school.

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org.

Batman : the killing joke / Alan Moore, writer ; Brian Bolland, art and colors ; Richard Starkings, letterer ; introduction by Tim Sale ; afterword by Brian Bolland. New York: DC Comics; 2008.

Warning: Mature themes, rated M. Not intended for younger readers.

The 1988, The Killing Joke by Alan Moore in the re-colored and remastered 2008 printing of the famous DC Comics One Shot is one for the ages. I have had cursory knowledge of The Killing Joke being a fan of comics both Marvel and DC but never sat down to really take it all in. I’ve watched the animated adaptation a few years ago but have since forgotten the story. After reading it, I walked away considering this to be the end of the Batman x Joker tale. It feels resolute in its tragedy.

Batman goes to Arkham Asylum to talk to Joker about their relationship and how it is doomed to end in one or the other or both dying by each other’s hands. The Joker gets a sympathetic origin story that is teased to be just a hallucination by Moore in the afterward. While I prefer the more dynamic frames of Japanese Mangaka there is something to be said about the standard block frames of older DC comics. Visual devices such as match cuts used to cut back and forth from a flashback sell a sense of unease while Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon mad. Repeated multicolored frames at the start of a sequence that serve to drive you just as mad. Or an upbeat sequence followed by a page turn jump-scare of the Joker. With frames of smiling faces that unsettle you with ease. It is a masterclass in how to seed discomfort in your readers by utilizing the standard comic book format. There is no wonder as to why this is considered one of the greatest Batman comics.

Ian Alcantar is a Circulation Assistant at North Park Library. He can be reached at ialcantar@alamancelibraries.org.

“The Honey Witch,” by Sydney J Shields. Copyright 2024, New York: Redhook (268 pages, $18.99).

Content Warning: Fire/fire injury, death, grief, sexual content, miscarriage, blood, death of a parent, torture, confinement.

In Shields’ debut novel, she takes magic, nature, and finding one’s self when all odds are against you and turns it into the sweetest success. Marigold Claude has always preferred the ways of the wild than conforming to societies’ standards (and suitors) and jumps at the first chance she can to see a different life. Apprenticing under her grandmother, a honey witch, and then taking over for the care of the Isle of Innifree, Marigold faces the ups and downs of being a witch. One of those consequences being that no one can fall in love with a honey witch. A “curse” that Marigold was ok with, or so she thought.

As Marigold experiences loneliness after her grandmother’s passing, she seeks familial companionship in her friends. What Marigold did not think would happen was falling in love with the sceptic, Lottie, and the choice that Marigold now faces. Stay a witch, keep the curse, save Isle of Innifree. Or forsake all that she has worked towards in order to love openly and freely with Lottie.

The Honey Witch is a delightful fantasy novel with a lot of cozy vibes. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what Shields plans to write in the future.

Kayleigh Dyer is a Library Technical Processing Assistant at May Memorial Library. Contact her at kdyer@alamancelibraries.org.

Thirsty. Hammonds, Jas. New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2024.

Content Warning: alcohol addiction, self-hatred, bullying, hazing, and suicidal ideation.

Wow. Jas Hammonds writes books that move you to tears (sad and happy). I wasn’t sure if Thirsty could be as good as their first book, We Deserve Monuments, but it absolutely is.

Blake has been dating Ella for four years, the entirety of high school. Now, she, Ella, and her best friend Annetta are going to college at Jameswell and (hopefully) joining the Serena Society. Serena Society is more than just a sorority – it is a network of Black women who support each other, mentor each other, and membership leads to success in life.

As summer begins, Blake is drinking. A lot. She is drinking to escape that she doesn’t have a great relationship with her parents, who don’t seem to understand the struggles she is facing as a biracial lesbian. She is drinking to escape that even after four years of dating, she doesn’t feel secure in her relationship with Ella. She is drinking to escape that this charmed life could end with one wrong move on her part (like throwing paint on a racist country club member’s yacht), because she isn’t rich like Ella and Annetta. She is drinking because she is insecure, and drinking brings out Big Bad Bee, who isn’t scared of anything, who is up for anything, and whom everyone loves. Everyone but her best friend Annetta, who worries that Blake is drinking too much.

Then the official Serena Society pledge period begins, and there’s more drinking, more hazing, more chances for her life to go off the rails. The president of Serena Society, Roxanne, seems to revel in making the pledges drink to excess and complete risky tasks. Roxanne flirts shamelessly with Ella, making Blake feel even more insecure in her relationship. Annetta tries to intervene and help Blake with her drinking, but Annetta has her own issues to deal with, including a new relationship with a nonbinary person, and figuring out if she (or they) is/are nonbinary as well.

At times, this book is difficult to read, because you hurt for Blake while internally (or externally) screaming at her as she makes bad choice after bad choice. Hammonds does an incredible job of making the reader feel just as unsettled, depressed and desperate as Blake feels. This book deals with serious issues, such as alcohol addiction, self-hatred, bullying, hazing, and suicidal ideation. But it also has hope, and that makes all of the pain worth it.

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at madams@alamancelibraries.org.

Zom 100 (manga) : bucket list of the dead / story by Haro Aso ; art by Kotaro Takata ; translation: Nova Skipper ; touch-up art & lettering: Vanessa Satone. San Francisco, California : VIZ Media, LLC, 2021.

Warning: Mature themes, rated M. Not intended for younger readers.

Contrary to the title, Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead isn’t about zombies. Well… OK it is. But this isn’t your grandpa’s zombie apocalypse. Zom 100 follows Akira Tendo, a 24-year-old wage slave. He works for a production company he thought would be his forever career; only to find out it was an extremely exploitative company. When he wakes up after coming home from an all-nighter he opens his door to zombie apocalypse and is filled with emotion. Not dread as everyone around him seems to be, but all-out delight. He doesn’t have to go to work anymore? This is the best! Now he can do everything he wanted to. And so, the “Things I want to do before I become a zombie” bucket list was born.

Haro Aso, Zom 100’s author, mixes dystopian themes, deeply human emotional moments, and comedic joy in to this fast-paced manga. It’s an exploration on the importance of mental health, facing every-day anxieties, and relying on friendships in the face of adversity. Whether said adversities are zombies or otherwise. Despite being set in a zombie apocalypse the zombies really serve as a mechanism to move the characters along. Zom 100 is first and foremost a love letter to people who feel stuck or unfulfilled and advocates to not wait until the zombie apocalypse to go out and do the things you’ve always wanted to do.

Ian Alcantar is a Circulation Assistant at North Park Library. He can be reached at IAlcantar@alamancelibraries.org.

The summer reading theme for this year is Adventure Begins in Your Library, and we have plenty of adventures for people of all ages!

Our Summer Reading Kickoff is this Saturday, June 8, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Graham Recreation Center. We’ll have an inflatable obstacle course, a face painter, a balloon artist, cotton candy, oversize lawn games, a special mascot, our Mobile Library, and more. All of this is at NO CHARGE!

Our programming calendar lists our larger programs at each branch this summer. We have storytellers, magic shows, knights, painting and art, gem mining, cosplay, animals, sewing and more! Some of the programs do require registration, so pay attention as you choose programs (look for the *RR beside the listing in the brochure).

Our regularly-scheduled programs for kids, from storytimes to book clubs, also will be happening and will take them on even more adventures. You will find these and our other special events listed in each branch’s monthly calendars (here’s June’s calendars from May Memorial, Mebane, North Park and Graham).

The other part of our summer reading adventure is our reading log through ReadSquared! We challenge everyone (kids, teens and adults) to read 1000 minutes this summer. For every 90 minutes you read (or are read to), you earn a prize or a raffle ticket for our end-of-summer gift baskets. Everything counts when you’re trying to reach your 1000-minute goal – books, audiobooks, comics, magazines, and newspapers. Sign up today and start logging your minutes on Monday, June 10.

If you need recommendations of books for children and teens to read, we have you covered, with brochures with plenty of options of adventurous reads. Or you can ask your favorite library staff member to recommend some great books.

It’s going to be a great summer – join us for adventure at Alamance County Public Libraries!

This could be us. Ryan, Kennedy. New York: Forever, 2024.

In true Kennedy Ryan fashion, This Could Be Us is a beautiful romance novel about self-love and self-discovery for fans of Ryan’s other book Before I Let Go.

This Could Be Us follows the life of Soledad Barnes, a scrupulous planner, do it all yourselfer, stay at home mom, and wife. Her picture-perfect life starts to unravel when a knock at her door leaves the world she came to know with her husband Edward crashing down around her. Yet, there is no time to grieve, forced to quickly pivot to create a new reality for her and her three daughters. Amidst the struggle, she rediscovers her identity while grappling with the possibility of a new love.

Judah, the perplexing other main character, provides a captivating look into parenting two young children that are on the autism spectrum. It sheds some light on challenges that most people may not have thought about. The story mainly follows Soledad’s journey of healing through self-love while the romance between her and Judah is an incredibly slow burn. Without any spoilers, I can tell you the fire never runs out.  The big question is can she trust herself to make the right decision when it comes to loving someone again? She’s lost it all before and refuses to make the same mistake twice.

The author skillfully merges the first book to the sequel by expounding on the friendship between Soledad, Yasmen, and Hendrix. Highlighting the importance of maintaining adult friendships even as people grow busy, have romantic relationships, and deal with family issues. At times the story was intense, spicy, funny, and heartwarming. There were so many great life lessons to learn in this novel. Ryan definitely knows how to keep the readers on their toes. This is a great novel for readers who enjoy multilayered romantic fiction with elements of drama and inspiration.

Chantell Huell is a Circulation Assistant at North Park Library. She can be reached at Chuell@alamancelibraries.org.