Stories at Audible

All good things must come to an end. As such stories.audible.com, the free audiobooks program from audible.com are coming to end this June 30th. You still have a little time to enjoy the service. Audible made this available last year during the start of the pandemic. It was supposed to be for kids out of school, but they had content for all ages. It is a sign that things are starting to return to normal when this content discontinues at the end of the month. Thank all who made this available for free. I do hope people used the service while it was available and are willing to continue using the app to help their children keep reading. There are still ways to get free content for your children. Most just require you to have a library card, and a device to get onto the internet. With a library card the content will be free.

For the limited time remaining here’s how to access stories.

Audible Stories can be accessed from virtually anywhere. On your computer, tablet, or smartphone, just navigate to stories.audible.com. Make sure you are using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge browsers. No login, no payments, and no strings attached!

How to create a shortcut for Audible Stories

For quick access to Audible Stories, you can create a shortcut for it. Follow the steps below for your specific device. iOS

1.Open the Safari app.

2.Go to stories.audible.com

3.Tap on the Share icon at the bottom of the screen, which resembles a box with an upward pointing arrow.

4.Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen.”

5.You can use the suggested name for the shortcut or edit it.

6.Tap “Add.”

Android

1.Open the Chrome app.

2.Go to stories.audible.com

3.Tap the menu icon (3 dots in the upper right corner).

4.Tap “Add to Home Screen.”

5.You can use the suggested name for the shortcut or edit it

.6.Tap “Add.”

How to continue your story where you left off.

If you want to stop a story and come back to listen later, you must use the same device and browser – then you can pick up where you left off. Remember that you can only continue listening to your most recent story. For instance, if you start listening to Title A and then switch to listening to Title B, only your place in Title B will be saved. If you lose your place, you can always use the chapters or the player slider to try to find what you last heard.

Note: Safari on iPad will not play the second title until the page is refreshed. We are working on fixing this, but for now please refresh the page or use Chrome.

How to entertain multiple listeners at the same time

There is no limit to the number of people who can listen to Audible Stories at the same time. We recommend using different device-browser combinations for each listener, so each listener can stop and continue listening without losing their place.

Book Review

On review is debut novel Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. It’s a cozy mystery with a Filipino twist. This book is liberally peppered with tasty Filipino dishes, small town hijinks. murder and mayhem.

“When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…”

Manansala does a wonderful job getting you to like her characters, as well as enticing you with tantalizing food recipes. It appears this is the first book in a series called Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries. I for one can’t wait for the next installment.

Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day

2021 marks the 26th anniversary of a bleak day in Oklahoma City history, when we learned to believe in domestic terrorism. Where Americans set bombs in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and managed to kill 168 Americans, 19 of which were under 6 years old. The record says there were some 680 additional injured people, but 26 years later there are still a lot of people traumatized by what occurred on that day. Observe 168 seconds of silence for each of the people who lost their lives on April 19, 1995.

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building 1995

Books written about that day run the gamut from why did this happen, to why did this happen to me, to how I survived and moved forward. Read the ones that will make sense to you. Reading is a personal journey and the more you can get out of it, the better the experience. If you don’t know what happen that day find out for yourself. History is not just some dusty old stories. History is something we should never forget, as it has a way of repeating itself.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

If you are ever in Oklahoma City, visit the memorial. The following is according to Wikipedia.org.

Memorial features

The Field of Empty Chairs, east Gate of Time, and Reflecting Pool at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The Survivor Tree is visible in the upper left corner.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial as seen from the base of the reflecting pool.

After surviving the bombing, the Survivor Tree became an emblem of the Memorial.

The Memorial Fence and east Gate of Time.

The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial consists of the following segments on 3.3 acres (13,000 m²), and are accessible day or night.

• The Gates of Time: Monumental twin bronze gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 – and mark the formal entrances to the Outdoor Memorial. 9:01, found on the eastern gate, represents the last moments of peace, while its opposite on the western gate, 9:03, represents the first moments of recovery. Both time stamps are inscribed on the interior of the monument, facing each other and the Reflecting Pool.^[2][6]

The outside of each gate bears this inscription:

We come here to remember Those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

• Reflecting Pool: A thin layer of water flows over polished black granite to form the pool, which runs east to west down the center of the Memorial (also see reflecting pool) on what was once Fifth Street. Although the pool is flowing, visitors are able to see a mirror image of themselves in the water. Visitors seeing their reflections are said to be seeing “someone changed forever by what happened here.”^[2][6]
• Field of Empty Chairs: 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone represent those who lost their lives, with a name etched in the glass base of each. They sit on the site where the Murrah Building once stood. The chairs are arranged in nine rows to symbolize the nine floors of the building; each person’s chair is on the row (or the floor) on which the person worked or was located when the bomb went off.^[7] The chairs are also grouped according to the blast pattern, with the most chairs nearest the most heavily damaged portion of the building. The westernmost column of five chairs represents the five people who died but were not in the Murrah Building (two in the Water Resources Board building, one in the Athenian Building, one outside near the building, and one rescuer). The 19 smaller chairs represent the children killed in the bombing. Three unborn children died along with their mothers, and they are listed on their mothers’ chairs beneath their mothers’ names.^[2][6]
• Survivors’ Wall: The only remaining original portions of the Murrah Building are the north and east walls, known as the Survivors’ Wall. The wall has several panels of granite salvaged from the Murrah Building itself, inscribed with the names of more than 600 survivors from the building and the surrounding area, many of whom were injured in the blast.^[6]
• Survivor Tree: An American elm on the north side of the Memorial that was heavily damaged by the bomb, but survived. Hundreds of seeds from the Survivor Tree are planted annually and the resulting saplings are distributed each year on the anniversary of the bombing. Thousands of Survivor Trees are growing in public and private places all over the U.S.^[8]
• The Memorial Fence: A 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) chain link fence was installed around the area that is now the Reflecting Pool and the Field of Empty Chairs to protect the site from damage and visitors from injury. The Fence stood for more than four years, becoming notable as the place where visitors left stuffed animals, poems, keychains, and other items as tributes. During the construction of the Outdoor Memorial, 210 feet (64 m) of the Fence was moved to the west side of the Memorial, along the 9:03 side or the ‘healing’ side. The remainder of the Fence is in storage. Visitors may still leave small items along and in the Fence; the mementos are periodically collected, cataloged, and stored.^[2][6]
• Rescuers’ Orchard: A grove of Oklahoma redbuds (Oklahoma’s state tree), Amur Maple, Chinese Pistache, and Bosque Elm trees are planted on the lawn around the Survivor Tree.^[2] The trees represent the rescuers who came to the aid of the survivors; hence the rescuer’s orchard surrounds the survivor tree. The non-native species represent those rescuers who came from outside Oklahoma to help.
• Children’s Area: More than 5,000 hand-painted tiles, from all over the United States and Canada, were made by children and sent to Oklahoma City after the bombing in 1995. Most are stored in the Memorial’s Archives, and a sampling of tiles is on the wall in the Children’s Area. Chalkboards provide a place where children can draw and share their feelings. The Children’s Area is north of the 9:03 gate, on the west side of the Museum.^[2]
• Journal Record Building: North of the memorial is the Journal Record Building, which formerly housed the offices of The Journal Record. It now houses the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, which features numerous exhibits and artifacts related to the Oklahoma City bombing.^[4]
• Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Plaza: Located just south of the Field of Empty Chairs, above the underground parking garage, is the raised Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Plaza. An original part of the federal building, the plaza had a garden and seating areas, as well as a playground for the daycare center. Visitors to the Memorial can walk across the plaza, where the original flagpole is used for the American flag.^[

Maya Angelou

Known as a Poet, writer, and civil right activist, Maya Angelou was born on April 4th in St, Louis, Missouri. April 4th is widely known as Dr. Maya Angelou’s Day of Reading. The purpose of this day is to celebrate Dr. Angelou’s birthday by learning, teaching, and giving inspirational literacy programs to students and their peers based on the impactful words of her poetry, and books. To learn more about Dr. Angelou follow this link. https://www.mayaangelou.com/

In May of 2014, Maya Angelou left us with a large body of poems and memoirs to help carry out her mission. She led by example, and there are people who are striving to continue the work. Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation, supports education by dispensing scholarships to historically black colleges and universities.

How can you observe Maya Angelou’s Day of Reading? Reading one of her poems to your neighbors. Share it to your social media pages. This happens every year on April 4th so plan something wonderful for next year. Use the #DrAngelougift, and spread the word.

In a life that seemed larger than normal, Dr. Angelou left a blazing trail for anyone brave enough to follow. Will you pick up the mantle? Do you know why the caged bird sings?

Story Time

In this empowering ode to modern families, a boy and his father take a joyful walk through the city, discovering all the ways in which they are perfectly designed for each other.

“With tenderness and wit, this story captures the magic of building strong childhood memories. The Browns and Syed celebrate the special bond between parent and child with joy and flair…Syed’s bright, cartoon illustrations enrich the tale with a meaningful message of kindness and inclusion.”―Kirkus Karamo Brown reading I am perfectly designed.

STORY TIME

“

This gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another comes from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.

We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it. Grace Byers reading I am enough.

Story Time

Lupita Nyong’o reads her debut children’s novel Sulwe. “Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in the film 12 Years a Slave, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as multiple accolades, including the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Award. She has since starred in Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ryan Coogler’s record-breaking box office hit Black Panther, and most recently in Jordan’s Peele’s critically acclaimed horror film Us. Nyong’o earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Danai Gurira’s play Eclipsed. She lives in Brooklyn.”

READ AN EBOOK

It’s National Read an eBook week.

Read an eBook Week during the first full week in March is an opportunity for book lovers and writers alike to share their passion in digital form.  For the one week of Read an eBook Week, publishers and authors offer thousands of original eBooks for free and at deep discounts to encourage book lovers around the globe to give eBooks a try.

“The week promotes the advantages of reading eBooks such as:

• Convenience – lighter to carry around than physical books
• Ease of use – more accessible to take notes and look up books
• Customization – You can set your eBooks to look exactly how you want. 
• Price – They tend to be cheaper, and you can get many for free.
• Environmentally friendly – no chopping up trees to make them.”

Most public libraries have an extensive Book collection. This maybe an opportunity to read something you have wanted to try, or something that you never heard of. Find your next great read.

There are many eBook offers available. Try this website, https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1. for bargains. Here’s an author who is discounting her work for the week https://www.susanscottshelley.com/post/read-an-ebook-week. Follow the Read an eBook week Facebook page for more reading ideas. https://www.facebook.com/Read-an-Ebook-Week-193882590629749/?__xts__[0]=68.ARDlQWyJ92h0-geY8aa6rkTuvKb1a_ABNKwB7NsJLl9aOQXG6M4cjN356_aS6K3EzoWWREcfA3QzhoLl7xbm0tlqg2yz2JqxNvl2F6ET5Ch5tfqhIi2SRLxuv6zedjhTmPq1mZgJ2Ou4I7mmsx7LCnTJDBwj52RM26Nt71cUzK_I8bwXdtSBCBQ80spi-Ju99JeiawyedemBrdSo9hsQT7VGSMRgqgMmry7hpzTa4xd5r1wZdJvbVHKiKl9Dg52XxVKWRZbDz8Ljome2-MFZvRFMgSYhKRaLppNls61dBboma3j9To7n

Enjoy your week of eBook reading. #readanebookweek

Yet another story time

It’s Brad Meltzer reading Brad Meltzer. For more about this author check out https://bradmeltzer.com/Discover.html

Library Lovers

February is library lover’s month. Libraries have always been a place of refuse for many people through the centuries. During today’s time of pandemic many libraries are suffering, loss of staff, loss of hours and a loss of patrons. People aren’t able to congregate inside libraries as they use to. If the library is open it’s under limited status. Patrons have to pick their item and depart as quickly as possible.Some patrons can only get service at the curbside. These are the challenges libraries are facing. Some have compensated by offering more online content. Some are closing and praying it will be over soon, and the patrons haven’t forgotten them and return.

If you are a lover of libraries, this is a time to react. Things you can do to show your appreciation. 1) Drop a kind note into the book drop. 2) Do something nice for your librarian, maybe leave a friendly note inside a book you return. 3) Maybe bake them some homemade cookies. 4) Tell them why you love/like the library. 5) Tell them what they could do to make it easier during the pandemic (within reason).

Support your local library by following the rules during these unprecedented times. Find your next read at your local library.