Where will you go? What will you play?: Video Games Available at HPL

3 Feb

This year our library’s promise is that we will take you to exciting places and while books and movies are a great start to expand your horizons, you might also be looking something slightly more immersive. That’s where our video game collection comes in handy. If you haven’t checked it out before, now is the perfect time. It is a fun way to sample a new game and you can travel everywhere from fantasy lands to space without going further than your library. Today I’m looking at five recently added games available for PS4, but we also have a variety of games for other systems like the XboxOne as well.

House Flipper [for PS4]
Tired of being stuck in your house; wish you could live somewhere new? House Flipper allows you to buy and remodel homes; fun for both those who are interested in home repairs and those who love decorating. Rated E for Everyone!

Deliver Us the Moon [for PS4]
Wonder what it would be like to be an astronaut in space? In a not far off future, after Earth has begun to run out of natural resources, you are sent on a solo mission to the moon. Can you save humanity? This game is rated T for teen due to fantasy violence.

Port Royale 4 [for PS4]
Wish you could go back in time instead? In Port Royale 4 you will experience what it was like in the 17th Century Caribbean from creating trade routes to navel battles. This game is rated everyone 10+.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker [for PS4]
Interested in escaping into a fantasy world? Explore Golarion and create your character, you have 1,000 of different skills and abilities to choose from! The game is rated Teen due to some blood and violence.

Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour [for PS4]
Maybe you don’t want to do anything more exotic than just get out and enjoy fishing again; till you are back on the lake, we still have you covered. In Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour you can compete against over 100 pro anglers, catching 38 different species of fish. This game is rated E for everyone.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Head of Information and Digital Services

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To Read on a Dark Winter’s Night: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

27 Jan

As winter approaches and the nights grow longer, many of us will be searching for a gripping reading distraction from the coming cold winter nights. I suggest Sarah Moss’ Ghost Wall: a short but impactful novel offering a spine-tingling tale to finish in one go, perhaps late at night next to your fireplace (or a virtual fire on your TV or computer). 

Ghost Wall follows sheltered seventeen-year-old Silvie and her parents as they join an archaeology course for a two week re-enactment of Stone Age life in Northumberland, UK. During the two weeks of the trip the participants forage for roots and berries, use only Stone Age tools and clothing, and navigate the inhospitable bogs and moors of the remote landscape. The suspense builds as the re-enactment grows more frenzied and the dynamic unravels between the archaeology academics and Silvie’s working class family, and in particular her unfulfilled father. Throughout we face the unsettling parallels between the harsh reality of ancient life and the perils of the modern day.

Within the short two week and 130 page time frame, Ghost Wall manages to tackle modern and historic gender roles, class and trauma, and warns against romanticizing the past and building walls. Moss’ writing is transportive, and the natural world is strongly felt in both its beauty and danger. We also strongly feel Silvie’s inner turmoil and fear, and this evocation is sure to take your breath away as the novel draws to a conclusion. I recommend Ghost Wall as a thought-provoking, suspenseful, and dark but satisfying read.

Written by:
Madison Black
Library Assistant, Children’s Department

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