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PHOTO: ROHIT TANDON

We like our media on the go—and ad-free, quality content is yours* from the Library on your phone, tablet, or computer, at no cost, with no overdue charges. Use these free apps for eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, movies, music, language learning, and more.

Think Library
June 8, 2017
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Many in the media and politics keep trying to figure out why our new President attracts so many Rust Belt and Appalachian voters. This memoir of a young man’s coming of age in both regions may offer some insight.

At only thirty-one, J.D. Vance admits he's way too young to have penned a memoir. He hasn’t done anything extraordinary (though he did graduate from Yale Law School, a major accomplishment for a kid from a single-parent home in a working-class town in Ohio, where many did not finish high school).

Vance writes most vividly of Jackson, his dirt-poor but beautiful ancestral home in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. He also describes his people: a great-grandmother who once killed someone, and his own Mamaw who often threatens to do the same to her husband when he comes home drunk. In fact, J.D. relates, one night he saves his Pawpaw after Mamaw poured gasoline over him and lights a match.

Reviews, Think Library , Biography & Memoir, Nonfiction
May 23, 2017

Limestone stories are built into the foundation of our community.  Read or watch a few to find out how limestone has shaped Bloomington, Indiana, and beyond.

History
May 23, 2017

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So much great stuff is in Level Up—free to use with your Library card—for people of all ages and skill levels. But how do you know how to match up your creative interests with the amazing equipment and software here waiting for you?

Level Up’s useful Resources page is what you want. We've scoured the web for the best free guides to digital creativity and posted them there for beginners, experts, and everybody in between (and don't forget collection of books and magazines in Level Up!).

Level Up
May 22, 2017
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Summer is a great time to take your favorite companions on a road trip.  Book lovers take some companions to the beach. The best companions don't need a beach at all. Here's to summer and good friends.

Even More Staff Picks
May 22, 2017
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LGBTQ Pride Month has been nationally recognized in June for almost two decades, taking a positive stance against discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to promote equal rights, increase visibility, build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance (Wikipedia).

Kids , LGBTQIA+
May 22, 2017
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Mega Girl was the best superhero around—until she gave up her lifestyle of punching bad guys and saving the world. Now, ex-Mega Girl Alison Green is trying to live a normal life, go to college, and figure everything out. As she works to save the world without a mask, finish her homework, and attempt to cope with the past, Alison learns that heroism can take many forms.

Think Library, Teens, Reviews , Adventure, Graphic Novels & Manga
May 18, 2017
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An ancient god of war out for vengeance, a lonely bartender, and an angry fire demon all walk into a bar. Sounds like the start of a joke, right? Well, that's almost correct.

Think Library, Teens, Reviews , Adventure, Graphic Novels & Manga, Fantasy
May 18, 2017

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PHOTO: VERKEORG

Author Alert and New Arrivals, two great free services from the Library, keep you up on all the books, movies, and music as they're added to our collection. I use both of these all the time for the latest by my favorite authors and filmmakers, and they're great for personalized updates with minimal effort—I just set up my accounts, chose my preferences, and now get them automatically. These services also allow me to place holds on items as they're purchased by the Library, instead of waiting for them to hit the shelves.

Think Library
May 18, 2017
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Celebrate World Baking Day by exploring one of humanity’s oldest sources of nutrition—bread! Although modern grocery store bread has little in common ancient Egypt’s first flatbreads, this dietary staple has remained popular through millennia and across the world.

Reviews , Cookbooks
May 17, 2017

It’s officially backyard garden and Farmers' Market season! If you’re looking for some fresh new recipes to liven up your cooking repertoire, check out one of these vegan cookbooks. Vegan cooking is entirely plant based, using no eggs, dairy, or other animal products.

Cooking
May 17, 2017
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This is the second novel from Bloomington-born author John Darnielle, known also for the past twenty-five years as the songwriter in his band the Mountain Goats. While Universal Harvester’s trailer video [YouTube] suggests a horror story, the only slight chills come from the unexpected shifts between third and first person narration. And the eeriness is almost comforting, providing a profound depth and hopefulness to lives that may outwardly appear unremarkable.

Think Library , Fiction
May 15, 2017

Your Mom's specialshouldn't her Mother's Day card be too? Mother's Day is next Sunday, so you've got a week to find a message that really captures your love and appreciation for all Mom's done for you.

Level Up
May 7, 2017
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If Free Comic Book Day got you itching for great artwork that tells great stories, we've got you covered—the Library's got tons of graphic novels, in all kinds of styles, waiting for you.

Think Library, Teens , Graphic Novels & Manga
May 6, 2017