Ferndale Library Staff Recommends - Nicole Taylor's Picks

It figures that Nicole Taylor would wind up working at the someday.

“Everyone who worked here when I was a kid was always so nice to me,” said Taylor, who has worked as a Library Page for the last 18 months.

Taylor, 18, has lived in Ferndale all her life and points with pride to her Facebook profile (lives in Ferndale, senior at + works in Ferndale). Everything: Ferndale

She said that she came to the library so often as a young child that by the time she was a tween she was already begging her parents to let her walk here all by herself. Her love of reading was one of many factors leading her to a fledgling career in libraries (though, when she attends Eastern Michigan University in the fall she will be majoring in business – particularly hotel and restaurant management).

Taylor's decision to pursue restaurant management was influenced by her father, a former restaurant owner and her original mentor in the culinary arts.

Taylor said she loves having the chance to work in the city where she grew up. Now, she looks forward to studying business at EMU in Ypsilanti. We’ll miss her next year.

Circulation Director Kelly Bennett once tutored Taylor in Biology, back when she was a sophomore. They would meet for appointments inside, where else... the library. This spring, Taylor is dabbling in tutoring herself, scheduling her own appointments for junior high students and helping them with math (her favorite subject) as well as reading. So much does she love mathematics that she's participated in Upward Bound Math and Science classes up in Marquette, Mich., throughout high school. This girl's busy.

Let’s see what she suggests for us, when she finds time to read, watch and listen… 

Nicole Taylor's picks

1. Crank – by Ellen Hopkins: A teen’s struggle against a formidable monster, told in melodramatic verse.
   “Because this book is awesome; it’s a breezy read because it’s in verse. (Hopkins) writes it like you’re the person inside the story, going through it, so you feel like you’re in her shoes. And, they’re not very good shoes to be in…so, you learn…”
2. Perks of Being a Wallflower – by Stephen Chbosky: A quintessential life-of-a-high-schooler, told in a diary-esque narrative.
   “I don’t remember all of it, I’d read it back in freshman year, but it was very easy to relate to the main character. It taught you that …you’re not alone, that people are going through the same kind of stuff that you go through.”
3. Arc of Justice - A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age – by Kevin Boyle: This book documents the trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, taking place in Michigan during the 1920s, and it wound up involving Clarence Darrow and the (then-newly-established) NAACP.
   “I read this book while studying Detroit History in Mr. (Marc) Reosti's class at Ferndale, he’s one of my favorite teachers and I really enjoyed this book. It hits close to home, it’s a whole book about Detroit.”
4. Royal Hoax (CD) –Local band.
   “They performed a charity concert at school for people who brought in canned goods to help out the needy during Thanksgiving. They’re talented and they’re local, from Royal Oak.”
5. Clueless – The romantic comedy about a shallow drama queen who learns a bunch of morals by staying out of the mall – this is a tie, actually, for Nicole, who also wanted to put The Breakfast Club on her list – both recommended to her by myself, and Kelly.
   “I just watched both of these for the first time and I really liked them. It’s a tie. Breakfast Club because it makes you want something like that, to connect to people like that, but those actual people, it makes you want something like that. It’s unreal that those people would all wind up being friends, I want to meet them in real life. Clueless…because it was just stupid-funny and that can be fun, now and then.”

Ferndale Patch thanks Nicole Taylor and circulation specialist Jeff Milo for contributing to Patch! Check back soon for more ideas from library staff. Are you looking for recommendations on something specific? Email jessica.schrader@patch.com, and we'll pass on your questions to the library.