Updated: May 2022

In 1978, the first ten days of May were officially recognized as Asian American Heritage Week after President Jimmy Carter signed a resolution. This week expanded into a month-long recognition in 1990, then was officially renamed Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by President George H.W. Bush. The month of May was chosen as a tribute to the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system is honored to recognize this diverse community by sharing the following materials from our catalog.

Nonfiction:

• Anuradha Bhagwati’s memoir Unbecoming details her transformation into a Marine Captain despite her strict Indian-American upbringing.  
• Nicole Chung’s All You Can Ever Know describes the author’s journey to learn about her Korean heritage and past after she was adopted at two months old. 
• Wajahat Ali’s memoir Go Back to Where You Came From, is a humorous account of the xenophobia he experienced while growing up in America.
• Afterparties, Anthony Veasna So’s short story collection, portrays the lives of Cambodian-Americans in California and was on multiple 2021 “Best Books” lists.
• Maui native Alana Kyser shares Hawaii’s food history in Aloha Kitchen, a collection of diverse recipes.
• Cathy Erway, author of the blog The Art of Eating In, explores Taiwanese cuisine in her The Food of Taiwan.
• Top Chef alum Preeti Mistry dishes out Indian-Ugandan-American recipes and anecdotes in The Juhu Beach Club Cookbook. 
• Kian Lam Kho’s Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees is a must for any home chef seeking authentic Chinese cooking techniques.
• Top Chef alum Leah Cohen explores her Filipino roots with Southeast Asian recipes in Lemongrass and Lime.

Fiction:

Amy Tan rose to fame with 1991's portrayal of Chinese-American women in The Joy Luck Club.  Discover these other Asian-American authors today!

• Laila Lalami’s The Other Americans is a family saga/murder mystery, following a California family after their immigrant father’s death.
• Fans of Lisa See’s The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane will enjoy her novel China Dolls, the story of three Chinese-American women in 1940s San Francisco. 
• Lisa Ko's 2017 The Leavers, a finalist for the National Book Award, explores the relationship between a single Chinese immigrant and her abandoned U.S. born son.
• Chia-Chia Lin’s debut The Unpassing features a Taiwanese-American family’s coping with death in the wake of the Challenger tragedy.
• Jean Kwok’s Searching for Sylvie Lee, one of the most anticipated summer reads, unearths a Chinese immigrant family’s secrets after a sister goes missing. 

Click here to find all titles listed above.

We have more than just books celebrating Asian Americans! Chinese American Jon Chu directed the immensely popular Crazy Rich Asians, based on Kevin Kwan’s book series. Indian-American director M. Night Shyamalan is known for his suspenseful, twisting thrillers. Hawaiian-born Bruno Mars keeps you dancing all night long with his mixes of R&B, reggae, soul and pop music. Try one of these Asian-American artists!

• Korean American indie rock band Run River North.
• Korean American R&B singer/rapper Jay Park. 
• Check out the multitalented rapper and songwriter Anderson.Paak (also half of the 2022 Record of the Year Grammy winners Silk Sonic).
• Michelle Zauner pulls double duty as the lead vocalist for the band Japanese Breakfast and author of the critically acclaimed memoir Crying in H. Mart.
• Catch Awkwafina’s Golden Globe winning performance in The Farewell, and other films that celebrate AAPI heritage on Kanopy, free once you log in with your Library card.
• Kanopy also has an entire section devoted to Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

Did you know the Library has materials in more than a dozen languages, including Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi and Vietnamese? Contact your local branch to see what languages are offered.   

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has all the resources you need to discover a new culture or embrace your heritage!

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This blog was written by Kristi Atkins, librarian at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

WineFest goers twenty-one and up sampled more than 100 wines, listened to music and filled their bellies along the boardwalk this past April. To get you in the mood to enjoy wine in the upcoming hot, hot months, we’ve paired some of the most popular wines with books and movies. 

Try Wine Reads or The Booklovers' Guide to Wine for how to pair your wines with books. Or, take our word for it with this list. 

Book clubs can pair a book with a different wine each month; cozy mysteries’ fun, pun-filled titles make it easy to pick and pair. Try Ellen Crosby’s Wine Country series, Joni Folger, or Nadia Gordon. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most popular red wine in the United States. Often described as “full-bodied” or “complex,” it’s a major industry in cool climates from California to Chile. Try with the complex characters found in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple  or Isabel Allende’s Chilean saga Daughter of Fortune. 

Merlot, derived from the French word for “blackbird,” has hints of plums and is considered a blending grape. Pair a big glass with Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum crime series or Chris Bohjalian’s around-the-world thriller The Flight Attendant. 

Chianti is a dry red Italian wine and pairs well with pizza. Enjoy a glass with your next slice while watching Mystic Pizza. This wine also is best enjoyed with fava beans according to Hannibal Lector; sip it while reading Thomas Harris’ other works.    

Pinot Noir made popular in the 2005 movie Sideways, is a crowd-pleasing lighter red wine. Try it with universal crowd-pleasers like Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist or any title by Agatha Christie.

A light and fruity Chardonnay pairs with “cheesy” cozy mysteries like Avery Aames’ For Cheddar or Worse or The Long Quiche Goodnight. This wine also is perfect for lighter beach reads by Dorothea Benton Frank, Mary Kay Andrews, or Elin Hilderbrand. Be sure you’ve signed up for Wowbrary to sign up for new release by these popular authors! 

Are you afraid of acids? Do tannins terrify you? If you feel intimated by wine lingo, get up to speed with these handy guides and tutorials:

• Try columnist Marissa Ross’ humorous take on wine education in Wine, All the Time.
• Ophélie Neiman’s Wine Isn't Rocket Science takes the guesswork out of wine tasting in an easy-to-follow guide.
• Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible (digital only) routinely shows up on top 10 lists.
• The Beginner’s Guide to Wine class via Universal Class is free with your library card. 
• If you have mastered the basics, Madeline Puckett’s Wine Folly takes your wine knowledge to a higher level. 

For a different kind of pairing, come to one of the Library’s book clubs that take place at local wine bars or breweries! Our graphic novel book club meets every fourth Monday at the Wine Vault in the University City area. In May, the 20s and 30s book club discussed Charlotte author Kimmery Martin’s The Queen of Hearts. 

Didn’t make it to WineFest this year? Mark your calendars for the next WineFest event planned for April 18, 2020. In the meantime, we hope the varieties and suggested titles above will take you to the vineyard of your dreams this summer!

NOTICE: This blog was updated on June 8, 2022 to include updated Pride resources and event information.

Happy Pride!

At Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, we are on a mission to improve lives and build a stronger community. In conjunction with that value, we believe that every person, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, identity, gender or gender identity, level of education, socio-economic status, etc., has the right to have their voices heard and to be their authentic selves without fear of retribution or castigation from society. It is both a privilege and an honor to stand beside the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, yearlong, as members, friends and allies.

Proud Beginnings

On June 28, 1969, the New York Police Department raided the historic Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in Manhattan. Police raids on gay establishments were common in the 1950s and 1960s when social and political anti-gay and homophile efforts flourished. Gay bars were places of refuge where LGBT people could safely be in community without fear of public ridicule or police aggression. However, on that fateful morning, patrons of the Stonewall Inn decided to fight back against the police and the injustices against them. The week-long riots, which coincided with the civil rights and feminist movements, became the catalyzing moments that birthed the gay liberation movement.

Progression of Liberties

Just six months after the uprising at Stonewall, numerous grassroots gay and human rights organizations began to form across the U.S. such as the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA). Since the Stonewall riots, the LGBT community has made many strides against injustice. In October 1979, the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights took place in D.C. which drew an estimated attendance of 75,000-125,000 supporters. On March 2, 1982, Wisconsin became the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and in April 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot ban same-sex marriage. For a current list of LGBT rights, milestones and fast facts click here.



A Celebration of LGBT History

In addition to national pride celebrations in June and locally in August (moved in 2021 to October), October was established as Gay and Lesbian History Month by a Missouri high school teacher, Rodney Wilson, in 1994.  Rodney worked with other teachers and community leaders to secure a month where public school was in session, and everyone could celebrate and learn about gay and lesbian history. According to LGBTHistoryMonth.com, October was selected for its existing tradtions, such as National Coming Out Day which falls annually on October 11. To see this year's LGBT History Month icons, click here.

Additional Information

In 1999, the U.S. National Park Service added the Stonewall Inn to the National Register of Historic Places and in 2016, President Barack Obama designated the inn a national monument.

For literary resources and suggest LGBT titles from the Library, be sure to check out the LGBT, Raising Rainbows: Parenting Books for LGBTQ+  Parents, Children, And Allies and LGBTQIA Teen booklists. 

To celebrate Rainbow Book Month™ with the American Library Association, click here.

To learn more about LGBT rights and how you can get involved, please visit the American Civil Liberties Union.

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This blog was written by Asha Ellison, marketing & communications specialist at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Sources:

Images and information from History.com, LGBTHistoryMonth.com and The Stonewall Inn.

Welcome to the second week of Summer Break! We hope your summer is off to a great start and you're recording all of the time you've spent reading and learning.  As a reminder, Summer Break  2019  began on June 1, 2019  and will run through August 10, 2019.  If you have any questions about Summer Break, check out how the program works and sign up here.  

Looking for Reading Suggestions?  

We all know reading is important, but did you know that kids and teens who do not read over the summer may experience 2-3 months of learning loss by the time school starts in the fall? Reading is just as important for adults because it keeps adult brains flexible and nimble. Plus, adults who read serve as great role models for kids. That's why we recommend 20 minutes of reading per day for everyone all summer.   

We know that it can be hard to come up with a list of great books to read, so Charlotte Mecklenburg Library staff are here to help. We have updated our reading lists for kids, teens and adults so that you can keep your brains active. Staff at your local library can also help you with book recommendations. Continue reading and remember to enter your reading time in your Summer Break account!  

Teen Book Finder by YALSA - Teens searching for their next great read have a new tool linked within the Resources page. The Teen Book Finder by YALSA facilitates searching of YALSA Award winners, books and media lists. Teens can search over 4,000 titles specifically written for teens 12 to 18 years of age by award, author, genre or award year. Cover art and brief blurbs are sure to help connect teens with their next great reads! 

Novelist Plus - Still feeling stumped? Readers of all ages are sure to connect with a terrific title by searching within Novelist Plus, also available through the Resources page. Search your favorite title, genre, or author to find a read-alike, browse subject-specific lists or try getting really detailed with an advanced search for your next read. Novelist Plus has something for even the most discerning of readers!  

Exciting Programs - Though our Summer Break 2019 program can be completed entirely online, our libraries are hosting some wonderful programs this summer. Check out some of our upcoming programs at branches around the county on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library program calendar.  

Comments? Questions?  

Are you having problems with the Summer Break 2019 website or your account?  Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library branch for assistance, give us a call at 704-416-0101 or email us at  [email protected]  for help or feedback.  

Would you ever consider treating your appreciation of reading mystery books like a college course? You may be exposed to a wide-range of historical and modern mysteries in “The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction” video series available on Kanopy. Kanopy is a video streaming service, offering more than 30,000 independent and documentary films. “The Great Courses” series is included with a cardholder’s access to the service. The series contains 36 college-level lectures in digital formats and this course about crime fiction.  

Hosted by David Schmid, an associate professor of English at the University of Buffalo, the lectures average 31 minutes each. Well-versed on the subjects, Schmid has written and edited several books and publications about crime and popular fiction.  

During the first lecture, various genres of fiction are mentioned. Schmid identifies mystery fiction as the catch-all for all types whether "cozy," "hard-boiled," "historical" or others with, typically, a "whodunit" theme. Conversely, suspense fiction "arguably contains no mystery at all, because we know the identity of the criminal from the beginning of the story," Schmid said. In any regard, Schmid concludes that these books "have some element of mystery that's meant to challenge and to entertain us."

The course begins with an examination of the first actual mystery novels including a focus on the trendsetter Edgar Allan Poe with his 1841 story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue. From this publication came elements borrowed repeatedly for mystery books including an eccentric amateur detective, an admiring sidekick and crime in an urban setting. Schmid discusses other writers’ contributions in the first lecture titled "Mystery Fiction's Secret Formula," but focuses on Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. Those three authors, with their detectives, C. Auguste Dupin for Poe, Sherlock Holmes for Doyle and Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple for Christie, emphasized their use of intelligence and logic to overcome any difficult mystery.

The breadth of scope for the following individual episodes is impressive. There are exciting topic titles such as “The Criminal,” “The Sidekick,” “The Locked Room,” “The Dime Novel,” “The Femme Fatale” and 30 more. The familiar subjects of detectives, private eyes and women in crime are also presented. Additionally, Schmid’s lectures stress the genre’s push to be innovative and remain popular. That results in crime fiction with different ethnic groups, the LGBT community and different settings around the world. The mystery reader is permitted, Schmid says, an armchair view of the world with a look at different societies through the issue of handling crime.     

Also, the professor conducts his lectures from a set which could serve as the stage for a 1930s private-eye office--perhaps, the office for Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade? As Schmid talks and occasionally walks around the set, one may notice an old manual typewriter, trench coat resting on a coat rack near wooden Venetian blinds and a chestnut-wood colored set walls.

A Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card opens a world of possibilities with countless materials, digital resources, programs and services available at no cost. This summer, thanks to a partnership with Carowinds, library cardholders can also get discounted tickets to the Carolinas’ favorite theme park during Library Week, July 22-28, 2019.

Celebrate libraries and literacy in our community, and take advantage of this special benefit!

Purchase your discounted tickets

Want to purchase discounted tickets for the special Library Week? In 2018, hundreds of cardholders took advantage of this special promotion!

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library cardholders can click the button below and login with the :

username CM

password LIBRARY (case sensitive)

Discounted tickets are good Monday, July 22 - Sunday, July 28, 2019.

PURCHASE CAROWINDS LIBRARY WEEK TICKETS

No library card? No problem!

Don’t have a library card? Free library cards are available to residents of Mecklenburg County, to those who live outside of Mecklenburg County but are Mecklenburg County property owners, and to students (of any age) enrolled in any private or public school in Mecklenburg County.

Apply for a library card using the form below, and take advantage of not only the Carowinds discount, but the many, many other benefits of a Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card.

Continue the fun all summer long

The Library and Carowinds formed a partnership in 2018 to encourage the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community to read and learn during Summer Break: Read, Learn, Explore, the Library’s summer learning program.

Summer Break participants who have entered their Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card number or One Access ID in the library card field on their account, complete the program by reading 20 hours OR by reading at least 10 hours and completing 10 learning activities AND log activities for 10 out of 10 weeks are eligible to receive a free ticket to Carowinds (while supplies last).

TRACK READING TIME AND ACTIVITIES ONLINE

Summer Break is made possible by a partnership with Carowinds. Additional support for the programs comes from Wendy's and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. A special thank you to Carowinds for providing the additional benefit of discounted tickets to library cardholders in celebration of literacy!

Welcome to Week 3 of Summer Break! Did you know that people of all ages can participate in Summer Break program? We hope that all the members of your family are having a great time participating and logging reading time and activities. Summer Break 2019 will run from June 1, 2019 until August 10, 2019. If you have any questions about Summer Break, check out how the program works and sign up here.

Digital Branch

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, but if you are ready to beat the heat, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has you covered. Stay in the cool air conditioning and access our digital branch any time! Available 24/7 here, the Digital Branch has a variety of offerings for all ages. Find fabulous reads, literacy extension activities, and Active Reading tips on the Storytime Train. Tune in and try out one of our podcasts. Get to know our users by viewing videos in “Telling Our Story,” or watch the dialogue develop around local hot topics in Community Conversations.The Digital Branch has something for everyone to enjoy, no matter the time or location!

ImagiCON 2019

Summer is a great time for kids to explore their creativity! Pencil in Saturday, July 20, as a date for people ages 0-18 and their families to do just that at our 4^th annual ImagiCON. Visit ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center for a fun day exploring comic books, graphic novels, cosplay, gaming, and more. Meet artists, gaming technology leaders, and attend panels between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Find out more at ImaginOn’s website here.

Celebrate Library Week at Carowinds!

In addition to offering free Carowinds tickets to eligible Summer Break participants, Carowinds also offers Library customers the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets and use them during Carowinds Library Week. This year Carowinds Library Week runs July 22-28. Purchase discounted tickets to be used during Library Week and help us celebrate Summer Break at Carowinds!

Click here to access the portal

User name: CM

Password: LIBRARY 

These are case sensitive.

Additional discounts may also be available through this portal throughout the summer.

Check Out Exciting Upcoming Programs! 

If you are looking for even more to do, all our branches have great programs throughout the summer. Did you know that attending a library event can count as a learning activity? Our libraries are hosting some wonderful programs this summer. Visit our online calendar to see a complete listing and register.

Remember: all libraries will be closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, give us a call at 704-416-0101 or email us at [email protected].

What does Landis Wade do?

Everything! And the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is thrilled to be along for the ride! If you’re local to Charlotte, the name “Landis” might ring a bell. An avid outdoorsman, public speaker, self-described "recovering  trial lawyer," award-winning author and host of the exciting Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis is a native Charlottean (he graduated from Myers Park High School in 1975!) who’s making waves in the literary community. Even better? In spring 2019, the Library teamed up with him to host the Charlotte Readers Podcast!

Through the Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis provides a platform where Charlotte-area authors, and those visiting the city, can “give voice to their written words” by reading or discussing their noteworthy works – published or emerging. Landis encourages guests to share stories and poems that evoke the emotions, followed by the kind of questions and answers that provide in-depth insight to the readings.

Hosting Charlotte Readers Podcast is a natural fit for the Library, which is an essential connector of a thriving community of readers, leaders and learners. It’s an opportunity to introduce the community to a variety of authors and writers through a growing medium in a location they can access without a subscription or special app.

Are you a fan of Landis? When he's not spending time with his beautiful wife, Janet, their two children, Jordan and Hamilin, or spending time at his cabin in the North Carolina mountains (where he likes to  read, write, hike, bike, golf and fly-fish), you can keep up with him and the latest episodes of theCharlotte Readers Podcast.

The seventh season of the Charlotte Readers Podcast begins in September 1, 2020. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CURRENT SEASON AND ALL AVAILABLE EPISODES.

Also, be sure to follow the Charlotte Readers Podcast on social media:

Twitter: @charlottereader

Facebook: @charlottereaderspodcast

It’s week four of Summer Break! Hopefully you’ve been logging your reading time and activities, but if you haven’t, it’s not too late to enroll in the program and join in on the fun. You can even backdate your reading time to the start of the program, June 1. Keep reading, learning and exploring through the end of the program, August 10, 2019.

Making sure you get rewarded for a summer well spent

Library staff have been working hard preparing for Summer Break since September 2018 – developing recommended reading lists, engaging programs and fun incentives.

One of the biggest tasks for the team that manages the Summer Break program is choosing, ordering and sorting all the cool incentives you receive upon completion of the program. This year:

• babies and children earn a new, popular book;
• teens earn either a new, popular book OR a drawstring library tote;
• and adults earn either a car magnet OR notebook.

Once incentives are chosen, the team works with the Marketing and Communications Department to create and order lots of flyers, posters and other print materials to help us tell you all about the program. Printed pieces are sorted and distributed to all 20 library locations.

Staff then order what feels like an ocean of books for babies, children and teens. Each box must be opened, organized and sorted so that every library location has just the right selection of books for participants to choose from when they complete Summer Break.

Staff also sort drawstring book totes, notebooks and car magnets so that teen and adult completers have a variety of colors to choose from at their library location. Check out the beautiful bright yellow!

Once boxes are sorted and labeled, they are taken to the dock to be delivered to library locations.

A lot of hard work is put into Summer Break with the goal of participants enjoying the program and having fun reading and learning all summer long.

To learn more about how the Summer Break program works, and how you can sign up to participate, visit summerbreak.cmlibrary.org.

REMINDER: all library locations are closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, call 704-416-0101 or email [email protected].