Prince William Public Library

This year we had 394 votes, and with 106 votes, let's give a massive round of appawse to our King of Rock 'n' Howl, Dusty, aka Elvis! 🎸 A huge thanks to everyone for entering Manassas City Library's annual Halloween Pet Costume Contest. Everyone was paw-fect in every single way. See you all next year! #PetCostumeContest #PWPLibraries

I spy with my little eye... a fun new display game at Chinn Park-ASC! 🔍 Stop by CP-ASC to try your eye; who knows—you might even spy your next favorite read too. 😉 #PWPLibraries #ISpy

Salem has spoken, and he’s never wrong! Happy National Cat Day! Whether you’re looking for a gripping mystery, a cozy romance, or a guide on how to rule the world (classic cat behavior), we have the purr-fect read waiting for you. What book are you curled up with today? Let us know in the comments, or drop a picture of your own feline library assistants! 🐱👇 Explore our digital library anytime at pwcva.gov/digitallibrary. #NationalCatDay #PWPLibraries

Sarah: I know Potomac and Gainesville are hosting gift-wrapping workshops in December, and Dumfries will be doing a take-and-make in December. You can also search the Events Calendar at pwcgov.libnet.info/events.

Claire: There are lots of great holiday decorating books and, of course, loads of cookbooks and magazines you can check out too. This is a great cost savings for patrons; it's like having dozens of free subscriptions! The magazines will all have a holiday-themed issue.

Sarah: We can't guarantee silence in shared spaces, but different branches have study rooms that you can book, and as Claire mentioned, some branches have quiet study spaces where talking isn't allowed.

Claire: Bull Run has a large, light-filled, quiet study room called the Learning Lab with lots of seats and a pretty view of the trees outside. No talking is allowed in this space.

Are there quiet reading spaces in the library for those who prefer to read in silence?

Other recommendations: -"Field Guide to the Formerly Villainous" by Autumn England -"The Truly Devious Series" by Maureen Johnson -"The Lost Daughter" by Gill Paul -"The Lunar Chronicles" by Marissa Meyer

Sarah: I'll admit, horror isn't exactly my strong suit. HOWEVER! I finished a horror-esque book with some "Hunger Games" meets "The Handmaid's Tale" vibes called "The Grace Year" by Kim Liggett that I thought was pretty good. While it's more mystery than horror, I'd also recommend the "Tita Rosie Kitchen Mysteries"; they're cozy, fun, and there's a wiener dog named Longaniza that steals the page!

Claire: When someone has these parameters, I like to invite them to our shelves for a good, solid browse! I would suggest a few authors I like - Tana French, Steven King, Alice Feeney, Barbara Kingsglover, Ann Patchett - then tell them to "treat it like a bookstore" only a fabulously FREE bookstore where you can check out 100 books! Pull things out, read the back. Make yourself at home.

I'm looking for spooky book recommendations for Halloween. I'd also love recommendations for other books to add to my library. I love horror, suspense, fantasy, historical fiction, and fiction...that sort of thing.

Claire: Gale Presents: Peterson's Test Prep database that actually holds hundreds of practice tests for every career and schooling level - firefighters, nurses, high schoolers heading to college, cosmetology entrepreneurs, and so much more. It also has an excellent tool for comparing colleges and universities, finding scholarships, and oodles more.

Sarah: Depends on what you're looking for! If you want to learn another language, we've got Pronunciator. If you want to learn some new skills, anyone with a PWPL card is eligible for a free LinkedIn Learning membership. AND, we also have Kanopy, which is like our version of Netflix. It's a little more documentary-based, but it's got some good stuff on there!

Claire: JSTOR access without having an academic login! Finding full articles for research and work can be difficult, and we provide that for free with your library card and through our digital library. Find JSTOR and other resources in our Digital Library at pwcva.gov/digitallibrary.

EXCUSE ME?! I was today years old when I found out you can get FREE audiobooks through your public library using an app called Libby. 😭 What other free library hacks are y’all keeping from me?!

Claire would be Mary Poppins, and Sarah would be Belle from Beauty and the Beast or Kitty Pryde from X-Men (during her pirate captain run).

Pretend you can snap your fingers & be any character for Halloween! Who are you going to be?

Claire: Horror is having a moment. New horror-centered independent bookstores are popping up, and many genre-crossing titles are out. Alma Katsu's popular new techno-horror release "Incarnate", which reimagines "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "Wolf Worm" by T. Kingfisher, is getting a lot of press.