Baytown Library's Blog

Recently, I have had the opportunity to read one of the greatest classics of all time: Pride and Prejudice . I was guilty of the unspeakable crime of watching the movie before reading the book. Now, understand: I had been in possession of Jane Austen's complete collection of books for over a year. Me being me, I opened Sense and Sensibility , read half the book, then moved on to a "more thrilling" novel. Oh, the woes of childhood. It could be said that I have very mixed feelings about classical literature. It's more of a love/hate relationship. In this blog, I will be stating the pros and cons of reading a classic. Hopefully, it will help you know a little bit more about what styles of writing you would be interested in reading. If you know me, then you know I am a "pro" reader. When I read a book, I try to just focus on the good stuff about them. (Though I am, hands-down, a biased Harry Potter fan.) In reading Pride and Prejudice , The Maiden's Bequest ...

Editor's note: Although we are primarily library blog, we believe storytelling in all its forms should be celebrated. This includes the interactive storytelling medium of video gaming. We hope you enjoy this look at a very popular online game, League of Legends! The majority of the top rated or most popular games this year are primarily FPS games, with your fair share of RPGs and other genres mixed in. However, one game is still a beloved gem amongst many PC gamers, a claim backed up by over 115 million monthly players as of 2020, and there’s a good chance you might have heard of it. Welcome to the world of League of Legends! League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA for short), the goal of which is to assemble a team of different champions to siege the enemy base and take down their nexus, a big crystal-like structure in the center of their base. Of course, you have to fight your way to victory, but it isn’t easy. There are 150 unique champions to choose f...

What if being creative could lead to your execution? The Unwanteds explores that possibility. The Unwanteds is written by Lisa McMann and is the first book in a series of seven books. The book follows Alex, an Unwanted who was separated from his twin brother, Aaron, who is a Wanted. Every year Unwanteds, 13 year old children who are creative, are sent to the death farm to be purged. However, Mr. Today, known to the people of Quill as the Death farmer doesn't kill the Unwanteds. He instead secretly saves them, and keeps them in Artime, unknown to the cruel leaders of Quill. In Artime, Alex and his friends Lani and Meghan learn to use magic like invisible painting and spells that can freeze people. In the story, the Unwanteds meet magical creatures, such as statues that come alive. While he is in Artime, Alex keeps thinking about his twin brother Aaron. Will he go find Aaron and jeopardize the safety of everyone in Artime? Or will he stay in Artime for his (and everyone's) ...