Reader Services

 

Welcome to the Reader Services Department:

Janine Walsh (Department Head), Christina Crocker, Aaron Berkowitz, Michael Realmuto, Susan Saskin, and Dalal Fatoush welcome you to the Reader Services Department Website of the EMPL web page. Our job is to provide you with books for the adult circulating collection, to keep the collection up-to-date, and to provide book discussions, working closely with the Public Relations Department. We publicize interesting aspects of the collection and just help to make EMPL the vital and exciting place it is!


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Want to know what the hottest new book releases will be? Check out Reader Services’ reviews of forthcoming books at our “Coming Soon to Our Library” blog and be the first to reserve these soon to be in demand titles!

 

 




In a reading rut? Want to broaden your book choices? Join the EMPL Reader Services 2025 Reading Challenge.

The reading challenge is a chance to shake up your reading habits and to explore all that The Reader Services Department offers by completing reading and non-reading challenges throughout the year. Those who participate will be invited to a party in January of 2026 where there will be prizes, refreshments, a book buzz, and a chance to share the titles read during the year. The Basic Reading Challenge consists of twelve, one for each month of the year. Complete the challenge within that month and get entered to win a prize. Unsure you can read a book a month? Don’t worry, there is a lot of flexibility in the challenge so you can participate no matter how much you read. Feeling ambitious? Complete our Extra Reading Challenges and/or our non-reading Bonus Challenges and increase your chance at winning our Grand Prize. You may read whatever you want as long as it meets the challenges. Not sure of what to read? We will have suggestions for you all through the year and a discussion forum online where you can get ideas or share what you are reading. Participate either online or by submitting your completed challenges in person at the library. Program is open to all with a Nassau Library Card.

Registration starts January 2nd online or in the library. For more information click on this link.

INSTRUCTIONS ON REGISTRATION

INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING READING CHALLENGES AND COMPLETING NON-READING CHALLENGES

 

 

Enjoy Bonus Borrows more often! Bonus Borrows will be available the last seven days of each month. Choose from these select titles without using your monthly borrows! No borrows? No problem! Titles in hoopla’s Bonus Borrows program don’t count against your limit. Enjoy hoopla all month long! Click here for more information.

 

 

The library is open, but here is another way to get books!

Looking for eBook/audiobook suggestions? We’ve created some new and exciting lists to help you find your next read. From bestsellers to self-help, there’s a wide variety of topics to explore. Sign in to Nassau Digital Doorway by selecting East Meadow from the list of libraries and then log in using your East Meadow Library card barcode. Or you can sign in using your OverDrive account or with Facebook. Happy browsing!

Nassau Digital Doorway Now Has Magazines!

RBdigital Magazines have moved to OverDrive and can be accessed by using the Libby app. If you aren’t able to use Libby or libbyapp.com, you can use the library’s OverDrive website. Full-color digital magazines are available for anytime, anywhere reading on desktops, mobile devices, and apps. You can access over 3,000 digital magazines with a rolling 3 years of back issues (where available). There are no magazine checkout limits, so you can borrow as many as you like. This collection of popular digital magazines includes both new and backlist titles. Rolling Stone, Glamour, Vogue, Newsweek, and Esquire are just a few of the titles we have to offer.

A valid East Meadow Public Library card is required to access the digital magazines through OverDrive.

Please click here for information regarding the RBdigital transition to Libby.

Libby for Amazon Fire tablets – Libby is now available to download from the Amazon Appstore.




READER SERVICES PROGRAMS

Credit Michael Parmalee

SPECIAL EVENT: MEET THE AUTHOR – KEVIN WADE

February 3, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade

Registration details to be announced.

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet playwright, screenwriter, and television writer and producer, Kevin Wade, who will join us to discuss Johnny Careless, his razor-sharp debut novel that Carl Hiassen says, “combines grit and wit in a way that conjures Donald Westlake or Robert Parker in full stride.” Wade’s credits include the stage plays Key Exchange, Mr. & Mrs., and Cruise Control, and the screenplays for Working Girl (seven Academy Award nominations), True Colors, Mr. Baseball, Junior, Meet Joe Black, and Maid in Manhattan. For television, he created the ABC television drama Cashmere Mafia and in 2010 joined the rookie CBS drama Blue Bloods as a writer. Starting with the second season and for the rest of the show’s fourteen year-run, Wade served as its showrunner, executive producer, and back-seat driver. Wade will discuss his novel, take questions and sign copies that will be on hand by On the Road Book Events.

 

 

 

February 24, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

The Searcher by Tana French

Registration details to be announced.

The eBook version of The Searcher can be accessed through the Nassau Digital Doorway.

Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.

 

 

 

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EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION

 

Date to be announced – 7:00 p.m.

Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr

Registration details to be announced.

The eBook version of Woman on Fire can be accessed through the Nassau Digital Doorway.

After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual—and very secret—assignment. Dan needs her to locate a painting stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. Meanwhile, in Europe, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. 

Discussion guide for Woman on Fire.

 

 

 

Read 'N Share

 

READ ‘N SHARE – Read a good book recently?

 

 

Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2024 

Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2023

Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2022

Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2021

Read ‘n Share Titles – February 2021

Read ‘n Share Titles – July 2020

Read ‘n Share Titles – April 2020



 

Lunch 'N Books

LUNCH ‘N BOOKS
TO BE ANNOUNCED

 

 

Your Next Read

YOUR NEXT READ

Let the Reader Services Department along with the assistance of the library staff help you find your next book to read. Click here to fill out the online form with your preferences and we will build you a customized list of recommended titles.

If you read any of the recommended books or choose not to read them, please send us feedback by clicking here and completing the online form.




These are the books we have read and recommend. Look for new reviews monthly!

To check the Online Public Access Catalog for the current availability of these books, please click here. Once you have gotten into the catalog, limit your search to the East Meadow location.

EMPL’s Bookshelf: Click here to view all of our reviews. Click on book cover or title to see the full review.

Happiness Falls
really liked it
Having loved Angie Kim’s first novel, Miracle Creek, I couldn’t wait to read her newest work, Happiness Falls. It is reminiscent of her debut work in several different ways. It centers on a biracial Korean-American family who live in Vir…
Silent Came the Monster: A Novel of the 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks
really liked it
Just when you thought it was safe to pick up a book, Silent Came the Monster has surfaced! My interest in sharks began in 1975 when I saw Jaws in the theater. I was a young girl who up until that point, had been weaned on innocuous Disne…
Hester
it was amazing
The author spins a marvelous tale that attempts to answer the question of who was the inspiration behind the character of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Albanese creates a very plausible and enticing “what if”…
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
really liked it
I was quite eager to read The Daughter of Doctor Moreau for two reasons. I thoroughly enjoyed Mexican Gothic, and I’m a huge fan of The Island of Doctor Moreau. While this book wasn’t the masterpiece that Wells’ original was, this was qu…
Her Last Affair
it was amazing
This character driven thriller is a pure delight to read. Searles has really hit his stride in Her Last Affair as it captivates from the beginning until the very last page. ¾ of the novel is wicked funny while the last ¼ is heart-wrenchi…
The Paris Library
it was amazing
So far this has been my favorite read for 2021! I loved both the story and the characters, so much so that I didn’t want it to end. It’s an excellent historical novel where the author has based her story on actual events that occurred du…
The Mystery Of Mrs. Christie
really liked it
Let me start off by saying that I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan. I’ve read her books, I’ve seen the movie adaptations, I think she is brilliant! To say that I was really looking forward to reading this book would be an understatement. So …
The Devil and the Dark Water
it was amazing
I absolutely loved this book! In fact, at this point in time, it is my favorite read of 2020. The plot was well constructed and the characters were rich and multifaceted. I loved the mystery element, it was complex but dropped many clues…
 
 


Click here for the Women of the Supreme Court bibliography. All of these titles can be found on the Nassau Digital Doorway.



If you would like to recommend a title, please click here.


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Have you tried NoveList, our online readers’ advisory tool? NoveList is a wonderful database to help you find fiction books based on your preferences. You can search the database by entering a title or author that you like, or you can even describe the type of book that you would like to read and NoveList will present you with a list of books that match your preferences.


    

download audio books
 

NASSAU DIGITAL DOORWAY
Need help downloading eBooks and audiobooks from the library? Begin with this link.

 

 
 

ONLINE BOOK CLUB – TO BE ANNOUNCED
Welcome to our online book club where questions will be posted to promote our discussions. Click here for information on how to join the club.

 

GOOD READS (Google Directory Readers Advisory Search)
Good Reads
is a great way to begin your search for reading guides for your discussion group.

 
It's a Mystery
  IT’S A MYSTERY! MYSTERY/THRILLER BOOK CLUB
Love a good mystery? Join our mystery/thriller book club as we delve into both the classics and latest releases of the genre. Click here to see a complete list of all of the books that we have discussed in our mystery/thriller series.
On the Bedside Table
  ON THE BEDSIDE TABLE
Welcome to the East Meadow Public Library’s new Book Blog where you will find book reviews, new services, a calendar of our book programs and lots more. We’re looking forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions. Hope you enjoy reading what we’re writing!
 
Read 'N Share
  ON YOUR MARK
Every month, members of the Library staff pick three books that they loved, which are printed on their personal bookmarks. If you like their picks, you can look for their bookmarks next month. It’s one more way to match the right
book with the right reader.
On your mark, get set, go find your favorite read!
 
Best Sellers Club
  BEST SELLERS CLUB
By joining our Best Sellers Club you will be automatically placed on the reserve list for the latest fiction by your favorite authors. Click here for more details regarding this esteemed program.
Book in a Binder
  BOOK CLUB IN A BINDER
Welcome to the Book Club in a Binder Program, brought to you by the East Meadow Public Library. Click here for more details regarding this exciting new program that will be coming soon.
 
Lunch 'N Books
  LUNCH ‘N BOOKS
Twice a year we offer a series of four books for discussion. Join us at 1:00 PM when expert leaders will discuss literary works of fiction and non-fiction. Click here for a listing of the books to be discussed and meeting dates. If you would like to see a complete list of all of the books that we have discussed in our Lunch ‘n Books series, please click here.
 
crescentmoon
  EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
The library has a book discussion group that meets at 7:00 PM. Book selections are made with the assistance of Reader Services librarian Donna Ballard, and copies of the book may be reserved at the Reference Desk.  Anyone interested in joining the group can just come and join us, no registration is needed. If you have any questions, please call Donna Ballard at 794-2570, ext.1236. Click here for a listing of the books to be discussed and meeting dates. If you would like to see a complete list of all of the books that we have discussed in our Evening Book Discussion Group, please click here.
Large Print Books
  LARGE PRINT BOOKS
Our library has one of the largest collections of large print books in the county. We are proud of our holdings and know that you will find exactly what you are looking for. If you don’t find the book you want, please have a librarian check our large basement holdings. Click here for a sample of some of our newest large print titles.
  HOMEBOUND SERVICES
Mary-Ellen Fosso, our Community Services Librarian, provides library services for homebound residents. For patrons physically unable to come to the library, we offer a homebound program to deliver books to you. If you are eligible (a doctor’s note will be required) please contact us for further information.
 
  MAGAZINE COLLECTION
We have over 100 circulating magazines in our Browsing Room collection, featuring popular titles such as People, Modern Bride, Time, and Entertainment Weekly.
 
New Books, Movies, Music, and Audiobooks in Collection
  NEW BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC, AND AUDIOBOOKS IN COLLECTION
Check out the latest titles in the Reader Services 2024 book, movie, music, and audiobook collection.
 
Book Lists by Subject
  BOOK LISTS BY SUBJECT
Bibliographies prepared by the Reader Services Staff.
 
Books and Reading Lists
  BOOKS AND READING LINKS
Useful websites for book lovers.

 Contact our Reader Services Department at readers@eastmeadow.info.