The branch will be closed Monday, May 13, through Friday, May 17, as the City of Bremerton, the building owners, repair the branch's attic.

The book drop will be open, but items will not be checked in until Monday, May 20. Holds will be extended through Saturday, May 25. 

During the closure, please use the Bremerton – Sylvan Way, opens a new window branch location at 1301 Sylvan Way or any other Library location. 

We apologize for any inconvenience this causes during the week and look forward to welcoming you back on Saturday, May 18. 

After weeks of fierce competition, a book has been crowned the Grand Champion of Literary March Madness, where well-loved books that were adapted into Oscar-winning films faced off to be crowned the reader's favorite.

And the winner is ... 

"The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien! The stunning conclusion to Tolkien's epic, world-building "Lord of the Rings" series proved to truly be the one book to rule them all. 

We hope you enjoyed the tournament! Thank you for voting each week as titles made their way through the bracket! , opens a new window

If you want to read up on this year's competing titles or revisit your top choice, our staff has you covered!

List created by KitsapLibrarians

View Full List

The simple formula for mystery novels revolves around the investigation and resolution of a crime. These ‘whodunits’ focus on solving a crime and pursuing justice, the reader following a series of clues along with the main character. Within this straightforward formula, a tangled web is then spun. Mysteries can be page-turners or slow-burning, gentle or gritty, sparsely written or richly descriptive. For most mysteries, the setting--either the physical location or time period--plays a crucial role in how the reader enjoys the story.

A very common request we get at the Library is for mystery books that allow for armchair travel and exploring crimes in other countries from the comfort of your reading nook. There are many amazing mysteries set around the world, written by authors from a wide variety of backgrounds. Slightly more challenging to find are books in translation, mysteries written by and about countries outside of the United States translated from other languages into English. If you’re interested in expanding your mystery reading outside of the U.S., here are some suggestions, tips, and tricks to try.

How to Find More:

• Pair these keywords with ‘mystery’ in your catalog search: international, world, translations/translated. Then, filter your results by content (fiction) and region.
• Check out the community and staff lists on the Library’s catalog that also include books you liked.
• Explore Novelist Plus for more suggestions. You can find specific lists such as “Scandinavian Crime Fiction” or search using similar keywords as your library catalog search (these terms can also be used in a search engine such as Google; your results will vary.)
• Follow mystery fiction resources online for armchair travel mysteries or specific translated mystery discoveries:
  • The Crime Writers’ Association’s annual Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger Award
  • Murder and Mayhem’s International Mystery and Thrillers lists
  • CrimeReads international crime fiction lists
• Use the BookMatch or Book-a-Librarian services to get individualized help, reading suggestions, or tutorials on navigating the library catalog.

Try These Next:

• Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing by Maryla Szymiczkowa (Europe)
• Lightseekers by Femi Kayode (Africa)
• The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino (Asia)
• Don't Send Flowers by Martin Solares (North America)
• Portrait of An Unknown Lady by Maria Gainza (South America)
• Everyone on This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson (Australia)

You might be a fan of translated mysteries or armchair travel mysteries if you like these authors:

• Fred Vargas
• Andrea Camilleri
• Umberto Eco
• Deon Meyer
• Louise Penny
• Val McDermid
• Donna Leon
• Alexander McCall Smith
• Kwei Quartey
• Jean-Luc Bannalec
• Sujata Massey
• Phillip Kerr
• Colin Cotterill

Find every edition of Chapters at KRL.org/chapters., opens a new window

Chapters 002 - Tagged Version

There are more than books available at the library. In addition to Discover Passes, ukuleles, and telescopes, Kitsap Regional Library has learning kits ready for you to check out. These kits are developed by the Library's Collections & Technical Services team (CTS) who select and purchase everything, from books to video games, for every library branch. Each learning kit includes a backpack, books, educational toys, and activities. Specially curated by age group for babies, kids, teens, and adults, each kit is designed to spur learning and allow users to explore diverse topics, including astronomy, manga, drawing, baby sign language, and more. 

Late last year, 16 new kits were introduced to our collection. Patron Errika Schneider and her six grandkids were the first to check out the Farm Animal Sounds kit. 

This first concepts kit for babies and toddlers introduces babies to animals and animal sounds. It provides an accessible experience with braille board books, tactile soft animal puppets, and a baby-friendly tactile animal sounds toy. 

As a person who is blind, Errika, who babysits her grandkids throughout the week, was thrilled to share the multi-sensory learning and reading experience with her loved ones. 

"My grandkids loved the interaction. It was fun because we could all read and play together. The Farm Animal Sounds kit will be borrowed multiple times. My youngest grandkid didn't want to see the kit go back to the library!" says Errika.

"It's more common to find material for blind children with sighted parents than for sighted children with blind parents," she adds. "So, finding something at our local library that meets all our needs is unique and fun!" 

Working alongside Errika to ensure she has the materials she wants and needs is Mobile and Adult Services Librarian Liz Ochoa. 

The Mobile Services team delivers library materials to healthcare facilities, group homes, and individual residences, supplying personalized services to those who cannot visit the branches. Errika shares, "Liz is always so helpful and is a voice for me and my needs. I really appreciate it." 

Liz says, "Errika is an amazing human and it's been wonderful working with her. I've learned so much about accessibility issues through listening to her and doing my best to find library materials and resources that work for her and her family. 

I've also learned a lot about resources available for people with visual impairments and am so grateful to be able to share those resources with others. Those connections are what being a librarian is about!"

Youth Selector Librarian Rosie Bromberg, who cultivates the new kits, explains, "With these new learning kits, we're hoping to offer meaningful interactive learning experiences for patrons of all ages, allowing them to explore a variety of topics and interests. 

Incorporating accessibility into these kits allows us not only to share this learning experience with more people in our community, but also to help create connections." 

Open to all, fostering a sense of welcoming and belonging is essential to the Library's work.

Check out a learning kit at KRL.org/borrowmore, opens a new window.

In this inaugural issue, discover how one family connects with each other while using new, multi-sensory kits in our collection, the history and restoration of the branch in downtown Bremerton, and the triumphant return of the Community Internship program. 

Read the full first issue below, or pick up a copy the next time you visit a branch!

Chapters 001 - Tagged Version

Launched in 2016, the internship helps prepare young adults entering the workforce to find rewarding careers and access higher education.

Essential to the program is a project-based learning component that encourages interns to learn, explore, and get inspired, all while creating S.M.A.R.T.—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—goals to help them complete their projects.

Shelby Barnes, one of the program's first interns, now plays a pivotal role as a STEM and Learning Assistant. She fondly recalls, "I have always enjoyed going to the library since I was a kid. When I mentioned this love to my mentor, she suggested I intern at the library…I didn't expect that single decision to lead me to where I am now, but I am grateful it did."

Managing the program is Megan Burton, STEM and Learning Supervisor, who explains the most rewarding part about working with these students is "[it's] closing time, and the interns are walking with me around the outside of the library – there's laughter and joy as we check to make sure the doors are locked and say our goodbyes for the day. "Before I go, can I tell you something?" An intern asks.

We stop for a while and talk about their future goals and how things are going as they are working toward their dreams. And for many, their dreams are feeling more and more attainable because of the skills and experiences we can provide through the internship. The glimmer in someone's eyes, when they figure out how to solve a challenge they have been facing, the thrill of seeing them achieve their goals, and the meaningful heart-to-heart conversations shared with all my mentees, have been the greatest joy of my career."

After a three-year break, one intern who benefited from the return of the program was Andrew Parry, who was recruited alongside fellow intern Imogen Pederson from the Washington Youth Academy, and Alejandro Monterrey, a teen patron at the Downtown Bremerton branch.

Andrew's project pushed him to create an animated video explaining the rules of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering.

Megan explains, "Andrew worked diligently throughout the internship, graduated high school in June 2023, and applied to universities and scholarships. His goal was to complete the internship project before moving, and he set forth to create learning materials about Magic: The Gathering aimed at library audiences looking to try the game for the first time.

His animated short that explains the gameplay was not just his first time writing a script; it was also the first time he had ever animated. Andrew has a great talent for animation and a strong aptitude for technology and engineering that he will continue to explore in his new adventures in higher education."

Andrew shares, "The most rewarding part of my internship was the relationships that I forged with the people I worked with; while I learned a lot and enjoyed animating, it was amazing to be able to meet all these new people who all did things to support the library and work with Shelby and Megan the entire time."

After graduating from his internship, Andrew received a scholarship from Washington Youth Academy to further his studies at Western Washington University, where he plans to receive his bachelor's degree in computer science.

When reflecting on its impact, Megan says, "In many ways, the internship program has become my life's work, and my hope is to help every intern I can until the day I retire. This was exactly the kind of work I was dreaming about doing when I was in library school, and to be working for the same library where I attended Storytime as a child is a dream come true."

“Gentle Reads” can be found in all genres, including historical, mystery, literary, suspense, and relationship fiction. They are not all cheery, breezy stories, there may certainly be tragedy and struggle. The key is that characters overcome these challenges through positivity, kindness, love, strength, and compassion.

You might be a “Gentle Reads” fan if you like these authors:

• Alexander McCall Smith
• Andriana Trigiani
• Debbie Macomber
• Dorothea Benton Frank
• Elizabeth Berg
• Fannie Flagg
• Ivan Doig
• Jan Karon
• Jennifer Chiaverini
• Joanne Fluke
• Karen Kingsbury
• M.C. Beaton
• Maeve Binchy
• Richard Paul Evans
• Sarah Addison Allen
• Sheila Roberts
• Susan Wiggs

Try These Next:

• Arsenic and Adobo
• Ever Faithful
• Glory Be
• An Irish Country Welcome
• Love & Saffron
• Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
• The Travelling Cat Chronicles

How to Find More:

• Use keywords in your catalog search such as: heartwarming, inspiring, gentle, and cozy.
• Check out the community and staff lists on the library’s catalog that also include books you liked.
• Explore NovelistPlus for more suggestions and discussion of ‘gentle reads.’

"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. brought people together from all different walks of life," Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler told a celebratory crowd that Friday evening. "His message of unconditional love and forgiveness continues to inspire and lift up others." 

Twenty-five years ago, the City of Bremerton, with the support of Kitsap Regional Library, named the historic downtown Bremerton building after Dr. King. Formally renaming the branch now was an opportunity to recognize this anniversary and acknowledge a legacy that continues to inspire and shape our region.   

Several leaders spoke during the renaming celebration, including NAACP Bremerton Unit President Robert Harris, Kitsap History Museum Board Trustee Roosevelt Smith, and Kitsap Equity Race and Engagement Coalition Founder Akuyea Karen Vargas. These scholars and experts in racial justice talked about the meaning of the moment and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Kitsap County.  

"It's truly a name that reflects the values and aspirations of our community," said Kitsap Regional Library Director Jason Driver. "By renaming this branch, we send a clear message that this space is for everyone, regardless of their background, regardless of their race, their creed, their sexual orientation ... it's all about a place where knowledge is accessible to all. Dr. King would have wanted that, and he envisioned that — a world where opportunity and justice were accessible to every individual. That's what a library is." 

Audiobooks

No genre seemed left unread by listeners this year. The most popular titles featured fantasy, historical fiction, and celebrity memoirs. 

Top 5 Checked-Out Audiobooks of 2023 

Fourth Wing

The Covenant of Water

I'm Glad My Mom Died

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Lessons in Chemistry

Movies

Viewers tried to be "everything, everywhere, all at once" by staying up to date with Oscar winners and nominees, taking to the skies, and facing the music.

Top 5 Checked-Out Movies of 2023

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Top Gun

The Fabelmans

Elvis

The Menu

Print Nonfiction

Library patrons read widely this year, delving into memoirs while seeking gardening and travel knowledge. 

Top 5 Checked-Out Print Nonfiction Titles of 2023

Spare

Gardening With Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest

Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door

Crying in H Mart

Gardening in the Pacific Northwest

Ebook Nonfiction

Unflinching memoirs and a desire to understand our modern times drove this year's digital check-outs.

Top 5 Checked-Out Nonfiction Ebooks of 2023

Spare

Tibetan Peach Pie

I'm Glad My Mom Died

I Never Thought of It That Way

The Triumph of Seeds

Ebook Fiction

The innovative and ambitious characters took center stage as startling revelations and the will to survive captivated readers.

Top 5 Checked-Out Fiction Ebooks of 2023

Lessons in Chemistry

The Orchardist

Verity

Demon Copperhead

The Bird King

Print Fiction

"Lessons in Chemistry" won the day in fiction. Other literal page-turners included thrillers set locally, Shakespearean game design, and a tentacled hero.

Top 5 Checked-Out Print Fiction Titles of 2023

Lessons in Chemistry

The Bones at Point No Point

Demon Copperhead

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Easy Fiction for Little Kids 

Decision-making, exploration, and looking for lost objects thrilled our younger readers. 

Top 5 Checked-Out Easy Fiction Titles of 2023

What Pet Should I Get?

Nanette's Baguette

The Pigeon Has to Go to School!

I Want My Hat Back

Curious George

Juvenile Fiction

The time-traveling tree house and diary entries of a so-called "wimpy kid" were the favorites of 2023. 

Top 5 Checked-Out Juvenile Fiction Titles of 2023

Hurricane Heroes in Texas

Rodrick Rules

The Meltdown

The Last Straw

Camp Time in California

YA Fiction

Fresh perspectives on YA favorites from the 2000s may have earned the most attention, but those were followed closely by long-time favorites and new series beginnings. 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Midnight Sun

The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Shadow and Bone

From all of us at Kitsap Regional Library: Happy New Year! We look forward to discovering your new favorites in 2024. See you at the library!