Monroe County Public Library - Florida Keys

09/08/2026

Each week, staff from the library recommend a favorite from the collection for the Reel Recs feature in the Keys Weekly newspapers. This week's recommendation of "Outrageous" is from Community Affairs Manager Nancy Klingener:

"If you came up with the Mitford sisters for a melodrama, the characters would probably be dismissed as over the top. The 20th century aristocratic British family included a successful novelist (Nancy), two committed fascists (Unity, who adored Hi**er and shot herself when Britain and Germany went to war, and Diana, who left her wealthy husband for British fascist Oswald Mosely), a communist (Jessica, who eventually moved to the U.S. and wrote the bestselling exposé of the funeral industry “The American Way of Death”), and a duchess who restored one of England’s most impressive stately homes (Deborah, who became Duchess of Devonshire and mistress of Chatsworth). This six-episode series is set in the 1930s, as the sisters are coming of age and fascism is ascendant in Europe and threatening Great Britain. It’s dishy and disturbing in equal measure and even if it’s not 100% historically accurate, it’s an entertaining portrait of a remarkable family during a tumultuous time."

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You can watch this limited series on Kanopy, the library's streaming app.

For more information about how to do that and to see previous Reel Recs, go to keyslibraries.org/post/reel-recs.

09/05/2026

Do you like to binge-watch or slowly savor TV shows? Either way, we’ve got lots of choices for you. Our streaming service Kanopy is featuring TV shows in September. Whether you prefer edge-of-your-seat drama, thought-provoking documentary, or beautifully crafted international television, the collection has you covered. Stream for free with your library card. Or if you prefer viewing TV old-school, request a DVD from our collection, from recent releases to old favorites.

On our Kanopy streaming app and on DVD, we have lots of great TV shows to choose from, from classics to new releases.

09/04/2026

September is Library Card Sign-up Month!

We'll be celebrating with a special pop-up at the start of the Monroe County BOCC meeting on Wednesday, Sept 9, at the Murray Nelson Government Center, 102050 Overseas Highway.

A library card is a passport to a universe of information, education and enrichment - with no ads or subscription fees.

Find out more about everything a Monroe County Public Library card can do for you at keyslibraries.org.

08/26/2026

And we've lost another icon. R.I.P. Tim Curry and thank you for all your amazing performances on screen, stage and more.

If you want to know more about Tim Curry, we've got his memoir "Vagabond" in print, eBook and audiobook.

In addition to his many other talents, Curry recorded numerous audiobooks that you can borrow from our collection, including works by Lemony Snicket, Garth Nix, Stephen King, and "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie. Explore and borrow them on the Libby app or here: keyslibraries.overdrive.com/collection/1831687

08/25/2026

We will always love you, Dolly. 💔

Find books by and about the incredible singer, songwriter, actress, writer, and booklover at our branches and online at keyslibraries.overdrive.com/collection/1831520.

Want even more Dolly? Our music streaming service Freegal is featuring a Dolly playlist. And Ken Burns' Country Music documentary series is on Kanopy, our video streaming app. Get them now with your library card.

08/20/2026

Each week, staff from the Monroe County Public Library recommend favorites from the collection for the Reel Recs feature in the Keys Weekly newspapers.

This week's recommendation of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" comes from Community Affairs Manager Nancy Klingener:

"There have been, to date, 13 movies in the Star Trek franchise and this is my favorite by several light years. It’s miraculous it was even made after the snore-fest of 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' and what a relief it was at the time. In this installment, the old Enterprise crew is pulled back together and encounters one of the greatest villains from the original series, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban). On the TV episode ('Space Seed'), the Enterprise crew left Khan and his shipmates on an uninhabited planet. In the movie, Khan is out for revenge, specifically against Capt. Kirk. Montalban and William Shatner are perfect antagonists, competing to see who can chew the most scenery. Kirk is also coping with advancing age and unexpected family – but mostly this is good old-fashioned swashbuckling, entertaining Star Trek, with some light literary dressing from 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Moby-Dick.'"

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This movie is available on DVD and on Kanopy, the library's streaming app.

For information about how to get movies from the library, and to see previous recommendations, go to keyslibraries.org/reel-recs.

08/17/2026

Each week, staff from the library recommend favorites from the collection for the Shelf Help feature in the Keys Weekly newspapers. This week's recommendation of "The Collaboration" by Michael Idov comes from Community Affairs Manager Nancy Klingener:

"I don’t read a whole lot of espionage — but this book was described in its cover copy as 'Slow Horses' meets 'Red Sparrow.' I adore the first and enjoyed the second. “The Collaborators” exceeded my expectations. It has an entertaining and twisty plot, characters who are much more than cutouts, and a cynically realistic, if deeply disheartening, take on international relations. I’ll just say this: Even if events didn’t unfold exactly as portrayed here, the book makes a decent case that we weren’t actually the winners of the Cold War. Even better: the sequel, 'The Cormorant Hunt,' is already out and in the library collection.

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You can borrow this as a large print book, e-book or e-audiobook. To find out how, or to see previous Shelf Help recommendations, go to keyslibraries.org/post/shelf-help.

08/07/2026

Each week, staff from the library recommend favorites from the collection for the Shelf Help feature in the Keys Weekly newspapers. This week's recommendation of "Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a notorious word, and me" comes from Assistant Director of Operations Michael Nelson:

"This book is a captivating memoir and cultural history inexorably intertwined. The author’s father, the legendary Richard Pryor, reclaimed the n-word in his comedy but eventually disavowed the word after a trip to Kenya gave him perspective. His daughter, a college history professor who teaches the etymology of the word, shows the impact it had on her father both publicly and privately. There’s so much to admire about the book, but it’s the intimate passages about Pryor as a father — and all its complications — that really linger."

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You can borrow this as a print book, eBook, or eAudiobook.

For more information about how to get a library card, get this book, and to see previous recommendations, go to keyslibraries.org/post/shelf-help.

08/04/2026

Looking to save some money? Check out what you can get at the Monroe County Public Library – no cost, no subscription fees, no ads:

📖Books for every age in just about every genre, including eBooks and audiobooks

🎞️Movies and TV shows on our streaming app Kanopy, or on DVD, including kids’ content and instructional videos

🎶Music streaming on our Freegal app

📰Newspapers and magazines – at the library or online, including New York Times digital access and 6,000+ magazine titles on Libby

🥭Language learning with our Mango app

💻Wifi, laptops, and printing

🏛️Customizable legal and business documents with LawDepot

Stop by your local branch - keyslibraries.org/locations - to sign up for a card if you don’t have one. Questions? keyslibraries.org/contact-us.

08/03/2026

Each week, staff from the Library recommend favorites from the collection for the Reel Recs feature in the Keys Weekly newspapers. This week's recommendation of "The Story of Film: An Odyssey" comes from Community Affairs Manager Nancy Klingener:

"Talk about an odyssey – this 15-episode series covers movies and movie-making from its late 19th century origins to the 2000s. A tagline on the poster says it was “made over six years, on four continents, covering 11 decades and a thousand films” and it shows: If you wish you went to film school, or at least took a good course on film history at some point, this series fits the bill. And it’s got a refreshingly international perspective, so you learn about what people in different places and times have created in this medium, rather than just celebrities, warring moguls, and corporate intrigue. If you need a break from quick clips on social media or people arguing on TV, take a deep dive into film history. Full disclosure: Your to-be-watched list may increase exponentially."

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This series is available on Kanopy, the Library's streaming app.

To find out how to get Kanopy, or to see previous Reel Recs, go to keyslibraries.org/post/reel-recs.