Books, Movies, CDs

Fairy houses : how to create whimsical homes for fairy folk

Sally J. Smith

635.967 /Smith
Nature, Nonfiction, Crafts, Gardening

Create the ultimate fairy houses, made with natural materials - just the way real fairies build their homes! Have you ever seen a real fairy house? Not the ceramic ones you purchase, but a real fairy house made from natural elements? Well, now you can build your own miniature magical abode - the perfect addition to your garden. Revealed in Fairy Houses for the first time are the step-by-step instructions for constructing exquisite fairy houses, explained by master fairy house architect Sally Smith. From her home on the edge of the Adirondacks, Smith has been creating one-of-a-kind fairy residencies for years. She uses natural artifacts such as butterfly wings for stained-glass windows, twigs for window frames, and birch bark for walls. Smith reveals her building secrets in Fairy Houses. Readers begin their fairy house project by flipping through an inspiration gallery, deciding what kind of house they wish to create and considering where in nature they'll put it. From there, readers learn about building materials (found and natural), on-site fairy house construction, how to light a fairy house, and how to incorporate stonework into the design. All of Smith's secret tips and techniques are then showcased in a series of step-by-step photos, making fairy house creation easy. The ones featured in Fairy Houses were designed especially for this book and are meant for longer-lasting installations. With this book, fairy houses move beyond "cute" and into beautiful nature-woven works of art. When you're through, you'll find yourself in an enchanted land where a Lord of the Rings-esque mood is magically evoked.

This beautiful book is just the whimsy I need on this rainy day! It's a nice hardcover loaded with colorful photos and helpful instructions. I have ZERO crafty skillz, but that doesn't stop me from looking at this cute mini houses made from bark, sticks, and leaves that you can stumble upon in your backyard. -Melody

Organizing for the rest of us : 100 realistic strategies to keep any house under control

Dana (Dana K.) White

648.5 /White
Home

"So you want to keep your kitchen counter clean but you aren't ready to toss the toaster? You want to be able to find your kids' socks but aren't looking to spend your 401(k) on clear bins? You long for a little more peace but minimalism isn't sparking joy? Decluttering expert and self-proclaimed recovering slob Dana K. White offers sustainable ideas to simplify and manage your home in Organizing for the Rest of Us." --

As someone who enjoys cleaning and organizing my home (just don't look at my work desk), I was surprised how much I got out of this book! I also got some gratification from reading some things that I already use as a rule. Mainly I would recommend this book for people who struggle to keep their home clutter-free, clean and organized because she really does offer very practical and useful tips that everyone can follow. -Mari

The crab ballet

Renée LaTulippe

jE LaTulippe
Picture Books, Nature, Music

When the tide is out, the Crab Ballet begins, featuring anemones, squid, crabs and many other sea creatures, an aquatic corps de ballet performing for the reader.

Beautiful, entertaining, and educational! -Casey

Fresh water for flowers

Valérie Perrin

FICTION Perrin Valerie
Literary Fiction

"Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Her life is lived to the predictable rhythms of the often funny, always moving confidences that casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues share with her. Violette's routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of Julien Sole--local police chief--who has come to scatter the ashes of his recently deceased mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that Julien's inexplicable gesture is intertwined with Violette's own complicated past" --

This was recommended to me by members of TRAIL. It was a wonderful book! A quiet read, yet layered and complex. It builds upon itself, slowly and intentionally. It is very well-written. A popular book in France and Italy during the depths of the pandemic, this novel resonated with me in a time that we all approach working through grief and loss. -Anne M

Scary stories complete set Scary stories to tell in the dark, more scary stories to tell in the dark, and scary stories 3

Alvin Schwartz, 1927-1992

Horror, Fiction

The iconic anthology series of horror tales that's now a feature film! The three Scary Stories books come together in this eBook collection to form a timeless collection of chillingly scary tales and legends. Folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. The eBooks in this collection feature Stephen Gammell's artwork from the original Scary Stories books. Read if you dare! Includes Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories, and Scary Stories 3

These books are full of classic scary stories. I read them as a child and they still hold up today. I'm not really scared of supernatural stuff but the story about the girl that has spiders hatch from a boil still gives me nightmares. Check them out on Hoopla! -Mykle

Hot and badgered

Shelly Laurenston

FICTION Laurenst Shelly
Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Humor

When her father places her entire family in danger, honey badger shape shifter, Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan, tries to protect her sisters and grudgingly accepts the help of a grizzly bear shifter, Berg Dunn.

I first heard about Shelley Laurenston from an urban fantasy online book group I followed. This book drew me in because the main character was a HONEY BADGER shifter. (And, ya' know, honey badger don't care...) Wolves, vampires, necromancers--I'd thought I'd read through all the paranormal fantasy archetypes. Honey badger shifters were something new. Shelley Laurenston's book are wacky and off the wall, completely ridiculous and not always politically correct. But in my humble opinion, they are wildly entertaining and hilarious. Find her audiobook series on hoopla: https://www.hoopladigital.com/artist/465327044?kindId=8&page=1 -Melody

20,000 leagues under the sea

Walt Disney Pictures

jDVD/Twenty
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comedy

Based on the novel: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers / by Jules Verne. Originally released as a motion picture in 1954. Special features: all-new audio commentaries with director Richard Fleischer and classic film historian and author, Rudy Behlmer; original 1954 theatrical radio spots; Peter Lorre's ADR tracks, a glimpse into the process of dialogue replacement before final edit; Captain Nemo's organ music; "The making of 20,000 leagues under the sea" featurette; "Jules Verne & Walt Disney, explorers of the imagination" behind-the-scenes featurette; "The Humbolt Squid: real sea monster!"; "Touring the Nautilius"; "Monsters of the deep"; "Nemo's death" script excerpt; "The musical legacy of Paul Smith"; "Lost treasure: the sunset squid sequence"; "Grand Canyonscope"; theatrical trailer; storyboard-to-scene comparison & unused animation.

This is my favorite adaptation of any Jules Verne novel. Kirk Douglas lands a hilarious performance, rebelling against a tyrannical captain and befriending a cute seal (sea lion?) On the other side of the spectrum, James Mason's serious portrayal of Nemo is just as powerful. Peter Lorre's character isn't as creepy as usual but you'll definitely get hints of "Igor on a boat." -Mykle

Post Office

Charles Bukowski

FICTION/Bukowski, Charles
Humor, Historical Fiction

Review by Publisher: "It began as a mistake." By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel'the one that catapulted its author to national fame'is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.

An absolutely wild ride. It's fascinating to wonder how much of this story comes from Bukowski's real-life stint as a postal carrier. I hope none but I have my suspicions! -Mykle

Fix Her Up: A Novel

Tessa Bailey

OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Romance

Georgette Castle's family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven't taken her seriously since. Frankly, she's over it. Georgie loves planning children's birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She's determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means. Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?) Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.) Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!) Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn't been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody's asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that's for sure. Maybe if people think she's having a steamy love affair, they'll acknowledge she's not just the "little sister" who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite. Travis Ford was major league baseball's hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he's flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can't even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his... bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend's sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What's the harm? It's not like it's real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there's nothing fake about how much he wants her...

Occasionally I'll go on a contemporary romance audiobook binge. "Fix Her Up" is the first novel of the three-part Hot & Hammered series. might recognize Bailey's name from her newest bestsellers--The Bellinger Sisters series--and I can vouch that both series are fun reads. The characters are easy to empathize with, and the themes aren't too heavy if you want a lighthearted read. And as a series, these books are indeed binge-able. Head over to hoopla if you need rom-com stat. -Melody

Nightmare alley

BLU-RAY Nightmare

From visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes a suspenseful psychological thriller about a manipulative carnival man who teams with an equally deceptive psychiatrist to grift the wealthy in 1940s New York society. Del Toro co-wrote the enthralling film with Kim Morgan, based on William Lindsay Gresham's novel.

"Nightmare Alley" is a gorgeous and haunting film noir. It's one of my favorite movies from last year. -Brian

Escape at 10,000 feet : D.B. Cooper and the missing money

Tom (Writer of children's books) Sullivan

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Sullivan
Graphic Novels

"A minute-by-minute account of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in the United States uses reproductions of FBI files and investigation photographs to chronicle the events surrounding an unidentified extortionist's 1971 hijacking and disappearance."--Provided by publisher.

I don't understand why every person alive does not want to read this incredibly compelling, suspenseful nonfiction graphic novel about the ONLY UNSOLVED AIRPLANE HIJACKING IN HISTORY??? (Don't worry, no innocent bystanders were hurt.) Without giving you any spoilers, let me just say that this story is mind-blowing on a NUMBER of levels and you will want to get to the bottom of this immediately. Until you're old enough to join the FBI, start by reading this graphic novel. -Anne W

A flicker in the dark

Stacy Willingham

FICTION Willingham, Stacy
Fiction, Thriller

"From debut author Stacy Willingham comes a masterfully done, lyrical thriller, certain to be the launch of an amazing career. A Flicker in the Dark is eerily compelling to the very last page. When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath. Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she's worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?"--

Fans of the first season of True Detective will enjoy this gritty serial killer copycat murder mystery set in the South. An unreliable narrator and lots of potential for multiple psychopaths in the story will keep you questioning the truth and changing the protagonist. A very solid debut thriller! -Mari

A perfect day

Jennifer Yerkes

jE Yerkes
Picture Books, Nature

"One bright summer day, the animals of the pond create a symphony of sounds"--

Beautiful illustrations, minimalistic text, and ample space for performative storytelling make for a fabulous storytime read-aloud. Just right for sharing and beginning readers! -Casey

I keep trying to catch his eye : a memoir of loss, grief, and love

Ivan Maisel

155.937 /Maisel
Biographies, Memoir

"In February 2015, Ivan Maisel received a call that would alter his life forever: his son Max's car was found abandoned in a parking next to Lake Ontario. Two months later, Max's body would be found in the lake. I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye is the story of Maisel's love for a son who was so different from him, but who he loved so deeply, and how he came to learn that grief for Max was nothing more than a last, ultimate expression of love. Navigating the moments of their complicated relationship, as well as their love each other, Maisel explores the bridges he tried to build to his son and the grief that engulfed him and his family after Max's death by suicide. Taking its title from Max's love of photography--and his tendency to only love the camera when he was behind it, looking away whenever his picture was taken--I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye delves into the tragically transformative reality of losing a child, all with grace, depth, and refinement. But by humanizing Max and humanizing his grief, Maisel evokes understanding instead of sorrow, appreciation instead of anxiety--and love instead of fear"--

This is a heartbreaking memoir, but I found it so beautiful and comforting as well. We get to learn about a close and loving family and the their talented son who was gone too soon. It's a heavy read, but a transformative one as well. -Amanda

Junji Ito's cat diary : Yon & Mu

Junji Itō

MANGA Ito
Graphic Novels

"Hell-o-kitty! Master of Japanese horror manga Junji Ito presents a series of hissterical tales chronicling his real-life trials and tribulations of becoming a cat owner. Junji Ito, as J-kun, has recently built a new house and has invited his financée, A-ko, to live with him. Little did he know ... his blushing bride-to-be has some unexpected company in tow--Yon, a ghastly-looking family cat, and Mu, an adorable Norwegian forest cat. Despite being a dog person, J-kun finds himself purrsuaded by their odd cuteness and thus begins his comedic struggle to gain the affection of his new feline friends"--Back cover.

My co-worker has been reading this book, and it sounds good. Lots of illustrations of cute cats, too! I've been wanting to try reading some graphic novels. It's officially on my list. -Hanna

Ring shout : or, Hunting Ku Kluxes in the end times

P. Djèlí Clark

SCIENCE FICTION Clark P. Djeli
Fantasy, Horror

"In this dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan's reign of terror, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up. Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?"--

Have you ever read a novella and wished that it was twice as long or--better yet--a series? That's exactly how I felt about "Ring Shout." I was drawn in by the cover and then hooked by the book's pulpy fantasy horror vibe. I mean, how can you beat a group of women hunting and killing demons that have disguised themselves as humans and joined the Ku Klux Klan? -Brian

Dorothy & Herbert : an ordinary couple and their extraordinary collection of art

Jackie Azúa Kramer

j708.009 Kramer

"A picture-book biography of renowned art collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, who independently built one of the country's greatest art collections, then donated it to the National Gallery of Art"--

A couple of middle-class government employees (she was a public librarian, he was a postal carrier) living in a tiny, rent-controlled apartment in New York City spent the 1960s and ensuing decades building one of the foremost collections of minimalist and conceptual art in the world on a budget. Their apartment was jam-packed - every wall covered floor to ceiling with art - with this style of art, which was all they could afford because it wasn't yet popular. Now their collection, which they donated to the National Gallery, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Read about this extraordinary couple in a new children's picture book biography and then also watch the documentary Herb and Dorothy (found in adult nonfiction DVDs - DVD/708.0092/Vogel), which describes how this couple "managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means." -Anne W

Let's get physical : how women discovered exercise and reshaped the world

Danielle Friedman

613.7045 /Friedman
History, Sports

"A captivating blend of reportage and personal narrative that explores the untold history of women's exercise culture--from jogging and Jazzercise to Jane Fonda--and how women have parlayed physical strength into other forms of power"--

This is a super enjoyable and informative read about the history of women's fitness and so many of the players who started the programs and clothes and mindsets we have today. I couldn't put it down! -Amanda

The Alice network : a novel

Kate Quinn

FICTION Quinn Kate

It's 1947 and American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a fervent belief that her beloved French cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive somewhere. In 1915, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance to serve when she's recruited to work as a spy for the English. Sent into enemy-occupied France during The Great War, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents, right under the enemy's nose. Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launching them both on a mission to find the truth ... no matter where it leads.

Fans of "The Nightingale" will not be disappointed! Kate Quinn writes an engaging historical fiction account that alternates between a British female spy network during WWI and the quest of a young woman searching for family after the end of WWII. -Becky

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens

OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Historical Fiction

For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens. Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

Kya is an endearing girl who grows up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina while facing a pile of difficult circumstances. I'd recommend this book, for the setting, the character development, and the deeper thought it encourages about society. On top of that, I'd recommend the audiobook. The soothing southern lilt of the reader brought me back to childhood summers playing on the North Carolina beach. Any audiobook fan will tell you some recordings detract from the story, some fade into the background, and some create a little extra magic. Where the Crawdads Sing is absolutely the latter. -Hanna

Tales from the ant world

Edward O. Wilson

595.796 /Wilson

"Summary Edward O. Wilson recalls his lifetime with ants-from his first boyhood encounters in the woods of Alabama to perilous journeys into the Brazilian rainforest." Ants are the most warlike of all animals, with colony pitted against colony. ... Their clashes dwarf Waterloo and Gettysburg," writes Edward O. Wilson in his most finely observed work in decades. In a myrmecological tour to such far-flung destinations as Mozambique and New Guinea, the Gulf of Mexico's Dauphin Island and even his parents' overgrown yard back in Alabama, Wilson thrillingly evokes his nine-decade-long scientific obsession with more than 15,000 ant species. Wryly observing that "males are little more than flying sperm missiles" or that ants send their "little old ladies into battle," Wilson eloquently relays his brushes with fire, army, and leafcutter ants, as well as more exotic species: the Matabele, Africa's fiercest warrior ants; Costa Rica's Basiceros, the slowest ants in the world; and New Caledonia's Myrmecia apicalis, the most endangered of them all. A personal account by one of our greatest scientists, Tales from the Ant World is an indispensable volume for any lover of the natural world"--

As a child, I was an avid collector of woodlice; observing their habits and putting them up in makeshift "habitat hotels" to experiment with their dietary needs and preferences. Needless to say I more than appreciated Tales from the Ant World. Edward O.Wilson is the ant king and instead of painting these insects in a good or bad light, he simply documents them with impeccable accuracy and detail. This is a fascinating read about a fantastically curious mind with almost 50 years of experience. -Victoria

Coffee, Rabbit, Snowdrop, Lost

Betina Birkjær

jE Birkjaer

Stump always has a fantastic time with his grandparents, filled with flowers, puzzles, crosswords, and endless love. But one day, Stump's grandfather starts to lose his memory--and his words, which literally fall from him. Stump tries his best to keep the lost words safe, collecting them in a special box. But Grandpa seems to forget more and more everyday, and the situation comes to a head one snowy night when Stump wakes up to find Grandpa missing. Together, Stump and Grandma must find new ways to connect with Grandpa, and show him that he's not alone. This poignant, tender picture book depicts the struggle of coping with a loved one's dementia with honesty and sensitivity, with a message of hope that affirms the deep bonds of love between grandchild and grandparent. This book includes an afterword to the adult reader about dementia and recollection, written by Ove Dahl, a historian and head of the Danish Center for Reminiscence. He provides some practical tips, as illustrated in the story with Stump, for establishing a meaningful way of being together when caring for a relative with dementia.

This is one of the best children's books I've read about coming to terms with a relative with memory loss. The intergenerational connection between the grandchild and grandfather is realistic and beautiful. The author captures the feelings a family unit has when they witness their loved one gradually becoming a shell of their former self. The illustrations are gorgeous and artistically amplify the hopeful story that unfolds. All ages will appreciate this book. -Victoria

Jailbreak at Alcatraz : Frank Morris & the Anglin Brothers' great escape

Tom (Writer of children's books) Sullivan

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Sullivan
Mystery, Graphic Novels, Kids, True Crime

CASE NO. 002: THE ROCK. June 12, 1962. SAN FRANCISCO BAY, CALIFORNIA. 7:18 A.M. A corrections officer at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary tries to awaken inmate AZ-1441, Frank Morris. But when he shakes the unresponsive man, his head rolls off the pillow and crashes to the floor! Soon the guards realize that Morris and two other inmates, brothers John and Clarence Anglin, had done the seemingly impossible: escaped from the notorious island prison. This is the incredible true story of the daring and inventive escape and a decades-long manhunt in a case that remains unsolved to this day. Comics panels, reproductions of documents from real FBI files, and photos from the investigation combine for a thrilling read for sleuths of all ages.

I loved Tom Sullivan's first graphic novel, Escape at 10,000 feet: D.B. Cooper and the missing money, so much that I knew I was going to enjoy his latest historical graphic retelling of a true event! These books are a great read for those reluctant readers in your life or for anyone looking for a good unsolved mystery. -Angie

Moon witch, spider king

Marlon James

SCIENCE FICTION James, Marlon
Diverse Characters, Fiction, Fantasy

"From Marlon James, author of the bestselling National Book Award finalist Black Leopard, Red Wolf, the second book in the Dark Star trilogy, his African Game of Thrones. In Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Sogolon the Moon Witch proved a worthy adversary to Tracker as they clashed across a mythical African landscape in search of a mysterious boy who disappeared. In Moon Witch, Spider King, Sogolon takes center stage and gives her own account of what happened to the boy, and how she plotted and fought, triumphed and failed as she looked for him. It's also the story of a century-long feud-seen through the eyes of a 177-year-old witch-that Sogolon had with the Aesi, chancellor to the king. It is said that Aesi works so closely with the king that together they are like the eight limbs of one spider. Aesi's power is considerable-and deadly. It takes brains and courage to challenge him, which Sogolon does for reasons of her own. Part adventure tale, part chronicle of an indomitable woman who bows to no man, it is a fascinating novel that explores power, personality, and the places where they overlap"--

Really looking forward to this fantasy sequel to James' "Black leopard, red wolf". Good mixture of adventure, magic, and folklore. TW: the first book had some difficult sections with regards to violence against women and children. -Jason

Barry. The complete first season

DVD TV Barry 1st season
Comedy

A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

"Barry" is absolutely hilarious, and it's my favorite show currently on TV (seriously, nothing is funnier than NoHo Hank). Season 3 premieres in April, so now's your chance to get caught up. -Brian

Last night at the Telegraph Club

Malinda Lo

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Lo Malinda
Romance, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

"Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day"--

A lovely coming of age story about finding oneself and understanding that you contain multitudes. If you ever felt pulled in different directions or on a quest to find where you fit in, you'll recognize thoughts and feelings in this book. Well researched, beautifully written, and a joy to read. -Anne M

I'm still here : black dignity in a world made for whiteness

Austin Channing Brown

305.896 /Brown
Black Lives Matter, Memoir

The author's first encounter with a racialized America came at age seven, when her parents told her they named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. She grew up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, and has spent her life navigating America's racial divide as a writer, a speaker, and an expert helping organizations practice genuine inclusion. While so many institutions claim to value diversity in their mission statements, many fall short of matching actions to words. Brown highlights how white middle-class evangelicalism has participated in the rise of racial hostility, and encourages the reader to confront apathy and recognize God's ongoing work in the world.

Austin Channing Brown provides an enlightening view of what life in America is like for a black woman. Her account is humbling, informative, and inspiring. -Mykle

Call us what we carry : poems

Amanda Gorman

811.6 /Gorman

The presidential inaugural poet--and unforgettable new voice in American poetry--presents a collection of poems that includes the stirring poem read at the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States.

Amanda Gorman displays such versatility in "Call Us What We Carry." This collection of poems takes on a wide variety of shapes and styles, containing an interesting blend of impact, resonance and fun word play. -Becky

Negative cat

Sophie Blackall

jE Blackall

"Max isn't a typical cat, but his loving owner still sees the best in him"-- Provided by publisher.

A beautifully illustrated book with a calming color palate that sets the scene for a sweet story about a cat loving kiddo and his oddball cat. Cat lovers will relate to the little boy's passion for his less than enthusiastic household companion. -Shawna

The rape of Nanking : the forgotten holocaust of World War II

Iris Chang

951.042 /Chang
History

In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written the definitive history of this horrifying episode.

Iris Chang will be remembered forever for her in-depth documentation of this horrifying episode during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Why couldn’t we forget the history? because “those who failed to learn from history are condemned to repeat it’. -Fang

Baloney and friends : dream big!

Greg Pizzoli

jREADER Pizzoli Greg
Early Readers, Graphic Novels

"Baloney and friends continue their adventures, which include a birthday cake mishap, a tricky bargain, a painting surprise, and the discovery that the best moments are shared with friends"--

Are you ready for some "serious" Baloney? This reader series by Greg Pizzoli gets better with each installment! -Casey

Kalamata's kitchen

Sarah (Sommelier) Thomas

jE Thomas
Diverse Characters, Picture Books

"Tomorrow is Kalamata's first day at a new school, and she's nervous! If only Kalamata and Al Dente could go to back to the Indian spice market they visited this summer, then maybe she'd remember how to feel brave when new experiences seem scary. Luckily for Kalamata, all the magic required for her journey is right in her own kitchen! As Kalamata and her alligator friend, Al Dente, transport themselves to a magical land filled with tasty ingredients, she realizes being brave is exciting!"--

"Being brave is delicious!" This is a very unique story featuring an Indian-American girl who is afraid about starting a new school and finds comfort in her mother's kitchen. Kalamata is a great little heroine for foodies, and she has such a vivid imagination. I appreciated a short read, beautiful pretty pictures, and recommend this story for kids when trying new things! -Mari

Trauma stewardship : an everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky

610 /Lipsky
Nonfiction, Health

Offers a look at the many ways the stress of dealing with trauma manifests itself: feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, diminished creativity, chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and more. This title presents a variety of simple practices that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover sources of energy and renewal.

We know mental health crises are a huge side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. This book is for anyone experiencing secondary trauma while providing services or support to people living with their own trauma. I learned about this book from a webinar about library service, one that acknowledged public service work can have a negative impact on on the worker's mental health. Trauma Stewardship is an excellent guide for anyone working in public service, mental health, or even the school system. It's the serious side of "self-care" (you don't have to be in a bubble bath to get something out of it). Stuffing feelings down after experiencing a traumatic experience with the public you serve will leave you burnt out. This book provides the tools to create space to care for your own mental health. -Melody

Plunder : a memoir of family property and Nazi treasure

Menachem Kaiser

940.5318 /Kaiser
Nonfiction, Literary Nonfiction, History, Religion, Political

When Kaiser takes up his Holocaust-survivor grandfather's former battle to reclaim the family's apartment building in Sosnowiec, Poland, he finds himself on a circuitous path to encounters with the long-time residents of the building, and with a Polish lawyer known as "The Killer." A surprise discovery-- that his grandfather's cousin not only survived the war, but wrote a secret memoir while a slave laborer in a vast, secret Nazi tunnel complex-- leads to Kaiser being adopted as a virtual celebrity by a band of Silesian treasure seekers who revere the memoir as the indispensable guidebook to Nazi plunder. Here Kaiser questions: What does it mean to seize your own legacy? Can reclaimed property repair rifts among the living? -- adapted from jacket

First, this book is beautifully written. Menachem Kaiser's grasp of language to tell a story, illustrate situations, and convey thoughts and emotions is so fluid and engaging. Second, this book is important in many ways, but also very interesting--a real nonfiction win-win. It's a slightly winding story, starting out with particular goals and desired outcomes, but as so often happens when researching and interacting history, the modern world and reality intervene, and make things a lot harder to get hold of and follow. Menachem goes where the story leads him, and the results are so strange, interesting, and profound that you couldn't have imagined some of it. This story is also full of love and learning and respect--for self, for others, for history, and for the stories that survive. -Candice

Courage is calling : fortune favors the brave

Ryan Holiday

179.6 /Holiday
Classics, Self Help

"From Ryan Holiday, the New York Times bestselling author of Stillness Is the Key, The Obstacle Is the Way, and Ego Is the Enemy, comes the first book in a four-book series about Stoic virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. As Ryan Holiday wrote in his previous books, Stoicism is a philosophy for the people. Stoicism isn't fraught with complexities, contradictions, or circular arguments about the meaning of life. Rather, Stoicism offers practical, rich guidance about how to achieve imperturbability, strength, perspective, and goodness. At the heart of Stoicism are four simple virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. The whole philosophy can be condensed into those four bullet points. Everything else, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and countless other Stoics believed, flows from these virtues. In Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday breaks down the most foundational virtue of all -- courage. Through engaging stories about historic and contemporary leaders, including Winston Churchill, Barack Obama, and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as some lesser known but equally as remarkable people, Holiday shows you how to practice courage in your daily life."

A very accessible and quick read that really covers the subject of courage from the Stoic viewpoint quite well. A good prescription to help navigate and conduct one's self in these more than "interesting times." -Paul

Twilight man : love and ruin in the shadows of Hollywood and the Clark empire

Liz Brown

306.766092 /Post
History, Biographies

"The unbelievable true story of Harrison Post--the enigmatic lover of one of the richest men in 1920s Hollywood--and the battle for a family fortune. In the booming 1920s, William Andrews Clark Jr. was one of the richest, most respected men in Los Angeles. The son of the mining tycoon known as "The Copper King of Montana," Clark launched the Los Angeles Philharmonic and helped create the Hollywood Bowl. He was also a man with secrets, including a lover named Harrison Post. A former salesclerk, Post enjoyed a lavish existence among Hollywood elites, but the men's money--and their homosexuality--made them targets, for the district attorney, their employees and, in Post's case, his own family. When Clark died suddenly, Harrison Post inherited a substantial fortune--and a wealth of trouble. From Prohibition-era Hollywood to Nazi prison camps to Mexico City nightclubs, Twilight Man tells the story of an illicit love and the battle over a family estate that would destroy one man's life. Harrison Post was forgotten for decades, but after a chance encounter with his portrait, Liz Brown, Clark's great-grandniece, set out to learn his story. Twilight Man is more than just a biography. It is an exploration of how families shape their own legacies, and the lengths they will go in order to do so"--

I was mesmerized by this story, and loved hearing all the scandals and gossip from Old Hollywood. It's a sad and engaging story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. -Amanda

Baby, sleepy baby

author Atinuke

jE Atinuke
Picture Books

"It's bedtime for a drowsy little one, and the whole family takes turns to cuddle and sing this sleepy baby to bed. One by one the baby's sister, grandmother, father, and mother call on the winds, the clouds, the stars, and the moon to sail and rock and delight their little one until dreams take over"--

Our household enjoyed this sweet lyrical bedtime read filled with a calming cadence and dreamy illustrations. Even if it didn't always soothe my toddler before bed, I enjoyed revisiting this story! -Shawna

There's a ghost in this house

Oliver Jeffers

jE Jeffers
Picture Books

"A young girl lives in a haunted house, but she has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? Step inside and help the girl as she searches under the stairs, behind the sofa, and in the attic for the ghost." -- Amazon.

This spooky, fun read will delight year-round. Translucent pages make for an unexpected surprise as you enjoy two perspectives of the same tale unfolding. -Shawna

The secret history of home economics : how trailblazing women harnessed the power of home and changed the way we live

Danielle Dreilinger

640.922 /Dreilinger
History, Technology

"The surprising, often fiercely feminist, always fascinating, yet barely known, history of home economics. The term "home economics" may conjure traumatic memories of lopsided hand-sewn pillows or sunken cakes. But obscured by common conception is the story of the revolutionary science of better living. The field exploded opportunities for women in the twentieth century by reducing domestic work and providing jobs as professors, engineers, chemists, and businesspeople that were otherwise foreclosed. In The Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger traces the field's history from small farms to the White House, from Victorian suffragists to Palo Alto techies. Home economics followed the currents of American culture even as it shaped them; Dreilinger brings forward the racism within the movement along with the strides taken by Black women who were influential leaders and innovators. She also looks at the personal lives of home economics' women, as they chose being single, shared lives with women, or tried for egalitarian marriages. This groundbreaking and engaging history restores a maligned subject to its rightful importance"--

I had no idea the field of home economics was so progressive and wide-reaching! I kept having to stop to share a fun piece of trivia I just learned. You'll recognize a lot of the influence today from the women of decades past. -Amanda

The least of us : true tales of America and hope in the time of fentanyl and meth

Sam Quinones

362.293 /Quinones
History, Science

Quinones was among the first to see the dangers of synthetic drugs and a new generation of kingpins whose product could be made in Magic Bullet blenders. In fentanyl, traffickers landed a painkiller a hundred times more powerful than morphine. They laced it into cocaine, meth, and counterfeit pills to cause tens of thousands of deaths-- at the same time as Mexican traffickers made methamphetamine cheaper and more potent. He investigated these new threats, discovering how addiction is exacerbated by consumer-product corporations. Amid a landscape of despair, Quinones found hope in those embracing the forgotten and ignored, illuminating the striking truth that we are only as strong as our most vulnerable. -- adapted from jacket

This book is part history, part science, and part character study. It is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. -Tom

Fans : how watching sports makes us happier, healthier, and more understanding

Larry Olmsted

796 /Olmsted
Sports, Health, Self Help

"Research into sports fandom makes the sometimes counterintuitive case for why being a fan is good for us individually and is a force for positive change in our society"--

This book is for the fan devastated by loss, the skeptic who sees no value in sports fandom, and the fan making the case to that skeptic. -Tom

The fallen star

Claudia Gray

SCIENCE FICTION Star Wars

In this gripping sequel to Star Wars: The Rising Storm, the light of the Jedi faces its darkest hour. Time and again, the vicious raiders known as the Nihil have sought to bring the golden age of the High Republic to a fiery end. Time and again, the High Republic has emerged battered and weary, but victorious thank to its Jedi protectors - and there is no monument to their cause grander than the Starlight Beacon. Hanging like a jewel in the Outer Rim, the Beacon embodies the High Republic at the apex of its aspirations: a hub of culture and knowledge, a bright torch against the darkness of the unknown, and an extended hand of welcome to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. As survivors and refugees flee the Nihil’s attacks, the Beacon and its crew stand ready to shelter and heal. The grateful Knights and Padawans of the Jedi Order stationed there finally have a chance to recover - from the pain of their injuries and the grief of their losses. But the storm they thought had passed still rages; they are simply caught in its eye. Marchion Ro, the true mastermind of the Nihil, is preparing his most daring attack yet - one designed to snuff out the light of the Jedi.

The last adult novel of Phase 1 of The High Republic was a doozy. The writing team said that not everyone would make it out alive, and they weren't kidding. I've really enjoyed all of these Star Wars novels. It has been a treat to explore a new time period. They've announced that the next wave won't begin until October. That's okay, though, cause I need a breather after this one! -Brian

Smalltime : a story of my family and the mob

Russell Shorto

364.1092 /Shorto
Nonfiction, Literary Nonfiction, True Crime, Biographies

"Family secrets emerge as a best-selling author dives into the history of the mob in small-town America. Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a city "in its brawny postwar prime," is where "Little Joe" Regino and Russ Shorto build a local gambling empire on the earnings of factory workers for whom placing a bet--on a horse or pool game, pinball or "tip seal"--is their best shot at the American dream. Decades later, Russell Shorto grew up knowing that his grandfather was a small-town mobster, but never thought to write about him, in keeping with an unspoken family vow of silence. Then a distant cousin prodded him: You gotta write about it. Smalltime, the story of Shorto's search for his namesake, delves into the world of the small-town mob, an intricate web that spanned midcentury America, stitching together cities from Yonkers to Fresno. A riveting immigrant story, Smalltime is also deeply personal, as the author's ailing father, Tony, becomes his partner in piecing together their patriarch's troubled past. Moving, wryly funny, and richly detailed, Smalltime is an irresistible memoir by a masterful writer of historical narrative"--

Shorto takes a deep dive into his own family history, uncovering its origins in Sicily, why Pennsylvania attracted his own great-grandfather to sail across the Atlantic, and why the mob? He unearths family secret after family secret and paints a picture of an American experience. -Anne M

Imaginary Borders

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

363.73874 /Martinez

If we wait for the floodwater to reach our doorstep, it will be too late. Earth Guardians youth director and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez uses his art and activism to show that climate change is a human issue. In Imaginary Borders, Martinez visualizes a future that allows us to direct our anger, fear, and passion toward creating change. Because we all have a part to play.

This paper-thin pocket-sized manifesto highlights the inequity in climate change and amplifies ways we can get involved to advocate for real change. A great quick read. -Victoria

Sea state : a memoir

Tabitha Lasley

BIOGRAPHY Lasley, Tabitha
Literary Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, Adventure

"A stunning and brutally honest memoir that shines a light on what happens when female desire conflicts with a culture of masculinity in crisis In her midthirties and newly free from a terrible relationship, Tabitha Lasley quit her job at a London magazine, packed her bags, and poured her savings into a six-month lease on an apartment in Aberdeen, Scotland. She decided to make good on a long-deferred idea for a book about oil rigs and the men who work on them. Why oil rigs? She wanted to see what men were like with no women around. In Aberdeen, Tabitha became deeply entrenched in the world of roughnecks, a teeming subculture rich with brawls, hard labor, competition, and the deepest friendships imaginable. The longer she stayed, the more she found her presence had a destabilizing effect on the men--and her. Sea State is on the one hand a portrait of an overlooked industry: "offshore" is a way of life for generations of primarily working-class men and also a potent metaphor for those parts of life we keep at bay--class, masculinity, the transactions of desire, and the awful slipperiness of a ladder that could, if we tried hard enough, lead us to security. Sea State is on the other hand the story of a journalist whose professional distance from her subject becomes perilously thin. In Aberdeen, Tabitha gets high and dances with abandon, reliving her youth, when the music was good and the boys were bad. Twenty years on, there is Caden: a married rig worker who spends three weeks on and three weeks off. Alone and in an increasingly precarious state, Tabitha dives into their growing attraction. The relationship, reckless and explosive, will lay them both bare"--

This book is in my selection area, and I found my interest piqued each time I came across a review for it. It's one of those "under the radar" reads--worthy of "best of" rankings but not explosively viral like Educated or Atomic Habits. The author's narrative writing style allows a reader to (sea) breeze through the book. Read it if you're in the mood for a true story about living a life in search of something more. -Melody

The leak : for the love of truth

Kate Reed Petty

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Petty
Graphic Novels, Kids

"Ruth Keller is brash and precocious; she argues with her dentist, her parents, and her teachers. So, when she discovers a strange black slime in the man-made lake of her suburban neighborhood, she decides to investigate. Fortified by the encouragement of those around her, Ruth seeks the truth at all costs, even if it means taking on the rich local country club owner, who she believes is responsible for the pollution. Between the teasing of former friends, and a sudden viral spotlight, Ruth discovers how difficult it is for a journalist to take a stand for what's right in the face of critique and controversy. From writer Kate Reed Petty and illustrator Andrea Bell, comes a story about corruption, pollution, and freedom of the press, and the young journalist at the center of it all."--Provided by publisher.

Join Ruth as she uncovers a shocking pollution scandal in her town and persists in trying to get to the bottom of it despite setbacks and discouragement. A nuanced look at the tough work of journalism (Ruth makes some mistakes along the way and learns that not everything is black-and-white, good-versus-evil), the book remains accessible to young readers. You'll want to stand up and cheer for Ruth's courage and commitment to freedom of the press, justice, and protecting her town and its citizens. The blocky illustrations with slightly fuzzy, crayon-like outlines are so satisfying visually as well. -Anne W

Circe

Madeline Miller

OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Fantasy

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Circe has had me spellbound since I listened to Perdita Weeks weave her magic in March of 2020. This is my third time around and I love it just as much as the first. -Casey

Somebody's daughter : a memoir

Ashley C. Ford

BIOGRAPHY Ford, Ashley C.
Memoir

"One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the ever looming absence of her incarcerated father and the path we must take to both honor and overcome our origins. For as long as she could remember, Ashley has put her father on a pedestal. Despite having only vague memories of seeing him face-to-face, she believes he's the only person in the entire world who understands her. She thinks she understands him too. He's sensitive like her, an artist, and maybe even just as afraid of the dark. She's certain that one day they'll be reunited again, and she'll finally feel complete. There are just a few problems: he's in prison, and she doesn't know what he did to end up there. Through poverty, puberty, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley returns to her image of her father for hope and encouragement. She doesn't know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates; when the relationship turns sour, he assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her family, Ashley finally finds out why her father is in prison. And that's where the story really begins. Somebody's Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she provides a poignant coming-of-age recollection that speaks to finding the threads between who you are and what you were born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them. 'Ashley Ford's prose is glass-so clear, sharp and smooth that the reader sees, in vivid focus, her complicated childhood, brilliant mind, and golden heart. The gravity and urgency of Somebody's Daughter anchored me to my chair and slowed my heartbeat-like no book has since Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Ashley Ford is a writer for the ages, and Somebody's Daughter will be a book of the year.'-- Glennon Doyle, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Untamed and founder of Together Rising" --

This was such a raw, honest and hopeful book about making sense of our past to put our best selves forward into the future. I couldn't get enough of this book. -Victoria

Legends of the Dark Knight : Matt Wagner

Wagner, Matt, writer, artist.

COMIC Batman Wagner

"Matt Wagner's complete collection of Batman stories in a new hardcover format! Matt Wagner's prolific run on Batman is collected in one place for the first time ever. From a mad scientist who has created a race of giant monster men to do his bidding, to Batman encountering sinister machinations and new dimensions of wickedness as he confronts the hooded menace of the Mad Monk, there's plenty of horror and action!"--

This hardcover includes Batman and the Monster Men along with its sequel Batman and the Mad Monk. Both tales are set early in Batman's career after the events of Batman: Year One. Matt Wagner draws and writes the heck out of these stories! This was out of print the last time I made a Batman list. I was bummed, because it's one of my favorites! -Brian

Where have all the boys gone? : a novel

Jenny Colgan

FICTION Colgan Jenny
Fiction, Romance, Humor

With more women than men in London, Katie's dating prospects are at an all-time low. She decides to head for the hills-- the Scottish Highlands to be exact. Fairlish is in the middle of nowhere, but the tiny town does have one major draw: men. LOTS of them! Theres plenty of local eye-candy, including gorgeous newshound Iain. But he is at loggerheads with Katie's new boss, Harry, and she can't afford to get on Harry's bad side any more than she already has. -- adapted from back cover

I will read pretty much anything Jenny Colgan writes. She crafts relatable characters and places them in remote settings that let their minds be free to experience themselves anew. This book is no different. I'm not finished yet, but I love the pickle the protagonist is in--forced to do a PR job for a grumpy forester who just wants to save the trees in the Highlands of Scotland. My favorite way to eat up a Jenny Colgan story is through audiobooks, and we have this one on hoopla. https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12586888 The accents the narrator performs instantly transport the listener to the Highlands. Take me away, Calgon! -Melody

Cloud cuckoo land : a novel

Anthony Doerr

FICTION Doerr Anthony
Fiction

Constantinople, 1453: Anna lives in a convent where women toil all day embroidering the robes of priests. She learns the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to the paradise of Cloud Cuckoo Land, a better world, and reads it to her sister as the walls of Constantinople are bombarded by armies of Saracens. Lakeport, Idaho, 2020: Seymour, an activist bent on saving the earth, sits in the public library with two homemade bombs in pressure cookers. Upstairs, eighty-five-year old Zeno, a former prisoner-of-war, and an amateur translator, rehearses five children in a play adaptation of Aethon's adventures. The future: On an interstellar ark called The Argos, Konstance, alone in a vault with access to all the information in the world, knows Aethon's story through her father, who has sequestered her to protect her. All are dreamers, misfits on the cusp of adulthood in a world the grown-ups have broken.

I finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land several weeks ago, but find that my mind keeps drifting back to it, making new connections between the interwoven narratives. The novel’s movement through storylines, seemingly unconnected characters, places and times initially frustrated me, but I came to appreciate the fluidity in the text. Each thread of the narrative built quickly, setting up an image of life in 15th century Constantinople, 21st century Idaho, and a futuristic space mission of 2146. These stories linked in myriad ways: love, loss, war, escape… but I especially appreciated the focus on libraries and the influence that one particular manuscript had on the lives and times it touched. -Becky

Only in America! : the weird and wonderful 50 states

Heather Alexander

j973 Alexander
Nonfiction, Kids

"A state-by-state compendium of weird laws, quirks, one-offs, and unusual records only to be found in the wonderfully wacky US of A. Only in America! explores the strangest claims to fame and the most unusual place names every state has to offer. Visit the city of Dinosaur, drop by the Pizza Museum, find out where it is illegal to feed a pig without a permit, and check out the world's only "carhenge" (that's right, Stonehenge reconstructed using cars)."--

This books is chock full of interesting facts for each state as well as hundreds of beautiful illustrations with bold colors. The highlight for each state for me are the lists fantastic foods, its super interesting to read about dishes unique to each state and makes me want to try them all! I also enjoy the state slang and list of books that take place in each state. -Mari

Hell of a book : or the altogether factual, Wholly Bona Fide story of a big dreams, hard luck, American-Made Mad Kid

Jason Mott

FICTION Mott Jason
Fiction

Soot, a young Black boy, lives in a rural town in the recent past. The Kid, a possibly imaginary child appears to a Black author on a cross-country publicity tour. to promote his bestselling novel. As their stories build and converge, they astonish. As the nation reckons with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news, what it can mean to be Black in America? Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? -- adapted from jacket

This tightly-paced narrative follows several characters who all, ultimately, offer reflection upon some very important themes and ideas: love, trauma, the importance of stories, the danger of perceptions (our own, those placed on others), belonging, and safety...just to name a few. The book starts out simply enough, but really picks up pace and intertwines with the different characters so deftly that the reader can really get swept along. The storytelling is energetic here, and the language feels snappy and graceful at the same time. Fresh, timely, important, enjoyable. -Candice

We came, we saw, we left : a family gap year

Charles J. Wheelan

910.41 /Wheelan
Memoir, Travel

"Charlie Wheelan and his family do what others dream of: they take a year off to travel the world. This is their story. What would happen if you quit your life for a year? In a pre-COVID-19 world, the Wheelan family decided to find out; leaving behind work, school, and even the family dogs to travel the world on a modest budget. Equal parts "how-to" and "how-not-to"--and with an eye toward a world emerging from a pandemic--We Came, We Saw, We Left is the insightful and often hilarious account of one family's gap-year experiment. Wheelan paints a picture of adventure and connectivity, juggling themes of local politics, global economics, and family dynamics while exploring answers to questions like: How do you sneak out of a Peruvian town that has been barricaded by the local army? And where can you get treatment for a flesh-eating bacteria your daughter picked up two continents ago? From Colombia to Cambodia, We Came, We Saw, We Left chronicles nine months across six continents with three teenagers. What could go wrong?"--

In the middle of an Iowa winter, two years into a pandemic, during the week of Valentine's Day, what better to read than a funny, heartwarming, fascinating memoir of a middle-aged couple who spend a year traveling the world with three teenagers? Charles Wheelan brings a dry humor to his clear, concise descriptions of beautiful and surreal landscapes like the Bolivian salt flats and beaches of Zanzibar, as well as snafus like cleaning up his daughter's vomit with a bedsheet on a night train through India and getting lost in the Chilean jungle. He and his wife and their teenagers visit dozens of countries on a 9-month trip around the world with a strict, low-budget daily spending limit. Their adventures are so interesting and their experiences parenting teens so relatable you won't want this tale to end! -Anne W

Sky High

jDVD Sky

When you're the son of the world's most legendary superheroes there's only one school for you--Sky High, an elite high school that molds today's power-gifted students into tomorrow's superheroes. The problem is that Will Stronghold has no superpowers!

This might be the best superhero film of all time. It's goofy and endearing. The kids moved on to big tv shows and movies. The supporting cast is amazing with Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Jim Rash, Tom Kenny, Kevin Heffernen, Patrick Warburton, and more. -Mykle

Upon a burning throne

Ashok Banker

SCIENCE FICTION Banker Ashok
Fantasy, Diverse Characters

"In a world where demigods and demons walk among mortals, the Emperor of the vast Burnt Empire has died, leaving a turbulent realm without an emperor. Two young princes, Adri and Shvate, are in line to rule, but birthright does not guarantee inheritance: For any successor must sit upon the legendary Burning Throne and pass The Test of Fire. Imbued with dark sorceries, the throne is a crucible--one that incinerates the unworthy. Adri and Shvate pass The Test and are declared heirs to the empire... but there is another with a claim to power, another who also survives: a girl from an outlying kingdom. When this girl, whose father is the powerful demonlord Jarsun, is denied her claim by the interim leaders, Jarsun declares war, vowing to tear the Burnt Empire apart--leaving the young princes Adri and Shvate to rule a shattered realm embroiled in rebellion and chaos..." -- Front jacket flap.

The fantasy genre has a great new addition with this epic series. Set in a world filled with Indian myth and folklore, this is an epic filled with interesting characters. A lot of interesting themes: Magic, Political/war, Relationships, etc -Mykle

The Selection

Kiera Cass, Read by Amy Rubinate

Fall in love—from the very beginning. Discover the first book in the captivating, #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series.Prepare to be swept into a world of breathless fairy-tale romance, swoonworthy characters, glittering gowns, and fierce intrigue perfect for readers who loved Divergent, Delirium, or The Wrath & the Dawn.For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn't want.Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

This book is the first in the Selection Series, an emotional, adrenaline-filled, and somewhat indulgent book about romance and royalty. It was a fairly light-hearted listen that got me through a solo road trip to the east coast one year for the holidays. It is enthralling. -Hanna

Capone : the man and the era

Laurence Bergreen

BIOGRAPHY Capone, Al
Biographies, History

Bergreen shows the seedy and glamorous sides of the age, the rise of Prohibition, the illicit liquor trade, the battlefield that was Chicago. Delving beyond the Capone mythology. Bergreen finds a paradox: a coldblooded killer, thief, pimp, and racketeer who was also a devoted son and father; a self-styled Robin Hood who rose to the top of organized crime. Capone is a masterful portrait of an extraordinary time and of the one man who reigned supreme over it all, Al Capone.

This is a well-structured, narrative account of Al Capone's career. It's not my usual kind of book, but I picked it up while in the hospital and it got me through some bad days. The small moments about a daughter's first date are just as engrossing as the descriptions of well-known and historical shootouts between the mob and the cops in downtown Chicago. This book was a surprisingly good read. -Hanna

The lightest object in the universe

Kimi Eisele

FICTION Eisele Kimi
Dystopian

What if the end times allowed people to see and build the world anew? This is the landscape that Kimi Eisele creates in her surprising and original debut novel. Evoking the spirit of such monumental love stories as Cold Mountain and the creative vision of novels like Station Eleven, The Lightest Object in the Universe tells the story of what happens after the global economy collapses and the electrical grid goes down. In this new world, Carson, on the East Coast, is desperate to find Beatrix, a woman on the West Coast who holds his heart. Working his way along a cross-country railroad line, he encounters lost souls, clever opportunists, and those who believe they'll be saved by an evangelical preacher in the middle of the country. Meanwhile, Beatrix and her neighbors begin to construct a cooperative community that suggests the end could be, in fact, a bright beginning. Without modern means of communication, will Beatrix and Carson reach each other, and what will be left of the old world if they do? The answers may lie with a fifteen-year-old girl who could ultimately decide the fate of the cross-country lovers.

At first, this dystopian book hit uncomfortably close to home during the covid-19 pandemic. However, as the characters found hope and community after a flu pandemic and the destruction of the electric grid, it gave me hope for our real-world future. -Hanna

Solo leveling

author Chugong

MANGA Chugong Solo
Fantasy, Dystopian, Adventure

"The weakest of the weak, E-class hunter Jinwoo Sung has no money, no talent, and no prospects to speak of. And when he enters a hidden dungeon that fateful day, he ends up being left to die in the aftermath of a horrendous tragedy. At death's door, Jinwoo is suddenly invited to be a "player" by a mysterious voice. Desperate to live, Jinwoo jumps at the chance...but what is this strange new leveling system that only he can see?"--

The art is amazing and the story is good. -Mykle

Everything, everything

Nicola Yoon

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Yoon Nicola
Fiction

"The story of a teenage girl who's literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she's ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more"--

The novel is thought provoking to parents of young adults like me. It is not easy to see that line between being “adequately” protective and “over” protective. It is even harder to let go or forgive when tensions rise between loved ones. But there’s always hope with the backing of true love and empathy. -Fang

Concrete Rose

Angie Thomas

OverDrive Audiobook
Young Adult, Fiction, Black Lives Matter, Read Woke

International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.

Dion Graham breathes life into the characters and setting of Angie Thomas's prequel to The Hate U Give. Don't miss this powerful chapter in Carter family history. -Casey

The song of Achilles

Miller, Madeline.

FICTION Miller Madeline

Added by Bond

The orphans of Davenport : eugenics, the Great Depression, and the war over children's intelligence

Marilyn Brookwood

305.231 /Brookwood
Nonfiction, History, Science

"The fascinating-and eerily timely-tale of the forgotten Depression-era psychologists who overthrew long-accepted racist and classist views of childhood development. "Doomed from birth" was how psychologist Harold Skeels described two toddler girls at the Orphans' Home in Davenport, Iowa, in 1934. Following prevailing eugenic beliefs, Skeels and his colleague Marie Skodak assumed that the girls had inherited their parents' low intelligence and sent them to an institution for the "feebleminded" to be cared for by "moron" women. To their astonishment, under the women's care, the children's IQ scores became normal. This revolutionary finding, replicated in eleven more "retarded" children, infuriated leading psychologists, all eugenicists unwilling to accept that nature and nurture work together to decide our fates. Recasting Skeels and his team as intrepid heroes, Marilyn Brookwood weaves years of prodigious archival research to show how after decades of backlash, the Iowans finally prevailed. In a dangerous time of revived white supremacy, The Orphans of Davenport is an essential account, confirmed today by neuroscience, of the power of the Iowans' scientific vision"--

It is fascinating. It is emotionally wrenching. It is an important story of how our community contributed to how we understand the human condition. -Anne M

Nightwing

Tom Taylor

COMIC Nightwing 2016 Taylor
Graphic Novels

"Nightwing is back-and his drive to keep Blüdhaven safe has never been stronger! But his adoptive city has elected a new mayor with the last name Zucco. When Nightwing enlists Batgirl's help in investigating the politician bearing the same name as the man who murdered his parents, she unearths details that will shock and fundamentally change the hero. Dick Grayson's big heart has protected those persecuted by bullies in his youth, combated evil alongside Batman as Robin, and pledged his newly inherited wealth to enriching Blüdhaven as Nightwing. His kindness and generosity have always guided his life. But now a new villain stalks the back alleys, removing the hearts of the city's most vulnerable. Who is this terrifying new menace named Heartless, and will he be able to resist plucking out the biggest heart in all of Blüdhaven?"--

Before reading this, I hadn't read a superhero comic in... *checks Goodreads* over a year. They, for whatever reason, didn't appeal to me during the ongoing pandemic. What it took to get me back was a writer I like writing my FAVORITE superhero. Nightwing: Leaping Into the Light by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo is exactly what I wanted: More character work than fighting and playful, energetic art. It's a perfect jumping on point if you've never read a comic about Dick Grayson. I highly recommend it. -Brian

Matrix

Lauren Groff

FICTION Groff Lauren
Historical Fiction

"Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life, seventeen-year-old Marie de France is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease. At first taken aback by the severity of her new life, Marie finds focus and love in collective life with her singular and mercurial sisters. In this crucible, Marie steadily supplants her desire for family, for her homeland, for the passions of her youth with something new to her: devotion to her sisters, and a conviction in her own divine visions. Marie, born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders, is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads and protects. But in a world that is shifting and corroding in frightening ways, one that can never reconcile itself with her existence, will the sheer force of Marie's vision be bulwark enough? Equally alive to the sacred and the profane, Matrix gathers currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy in a mesmerizing portrait of consuming passion, aberrant faith, and a woman tat history moves both through and around. Lauren Groff's new novel, her first since Fates and Furies, is a defiant and timely exploration of the raw power of female creativity in a corrupted world"--

This is a really special, one-of-a-kind book. I don't usually seek out books set in a 12th century abbey, and because of this the book acted as a great reading refresher. It is also based on the life of a real woman, which I love. I always enjoy reading about secret societies or little-known places, and an abbey is fascinating from that perspective - it operates on its own plane which is hidden from most of the world. The story about Marie de France is powerful, and you get to see the character transform over a long period of time. -Heidi K

The last cuentista

Donna Barba Higuera

jFICTION Higuera Donna
Science Fiction, Diverse Characters

"A girl named Petra Pena, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again? " --

The winner of this year's Newbery Medal, awarded to the author for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the past year, goes to The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera! This is a wholly original book - a science fiction tale inspired by Latin American folklore! A young girl, Petra Pena, heads out on an evacuation spaceship when Earth is destroyed by a comet. But when she suddenly wakes aboard the ship to find hundreds of years have passed and she is the only one left who remembers Earth and the stories of her heritage and past, how will she use her knowledge to build the future and save her people? -Anne W

The invisible life of Addie LaRue

Victoria Schwab

SCIENCE FICTION Schwab Victoria
Fantasy

France, 1714. In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever-- and cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Addie LaRue's life will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art. After nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore. He remembers her name-- and everything changes. How far will she go to leave her mark on the world?

In a desperate moment, Addie strikes a bargain with unintended consequences. This novel explores the value of being remembered and the impact of everyday interactions and connections. The audiobook narration is fantastic (read by Julia Whelan) and, for Iowa City Resident Card Holders, can be downloaded instantly on hoopla or borrowed through Libby. Recommended for fans of Naomi Novik and Katherine Arden’s “Winternight Trilogy.” -Becky

Time to eat : delicious meals for busy lives

Nadiya Hussain

641.5 /Hussain
Nonfiction, Cookbooks

Feeding a family and juggling a full workload can be challenging. Hussain shares recipes that are both quick and easy-- and that the whole family will love. She also shares tips and tricks for creating second meals to keep in the freezer; includes ideas for repurposing leftovers; and shows how high-quality convenience foods can cut your prep time significantly. -- adapted from inside front cover

Nadiya is famous for her win on Great British Bake Off and subsequent Netflix cooking shows. I picked this new cookbook up after seeing an excerpt for her super simple "cheat" for chocolate puff pastry on Bon Appetit. This is full of basic recipe concepts that can be scaled up, amended in different directions, frozen as meal prep, or partially adapted to become prep for another recipe in the book. There is an efficiency I like about this concept though it is a bit heavy with meat options. -Jason

The huntress : a novel

Kate Quinn

FICTION Quinn Kate
Historical Fiction

Shining a light on a shadow of history, The Huntress is an epic, sweeping Second World War novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network. On the icy edge of Soviet Russia, bold and reckless Nina Markova joins the infamous Night Witches - an all-female bomber regiment - wreaking havoc on Hitler's eastern front. But when she is downed behind enemy lines and thrown across the path of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, Nina must use all her wits to survive. British war correspondent Ian Graham has witnessed the horrors of war from Omaha Beach to the Nuremburg Trials. He abandons journalism after the war to become a Nazi hunter, yet one target eludes him: the Huntress. Fierce, disciplined Ian must join forces with reckless, cocksure Nina, the only witness to escape the Huntress alive. In post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is delighted when her long-widowed father brings home a fiancee. But Jordan grows increasingly disquieted by the soft-spoken German widow who seems to be hiding something. Delving into her new stepmother's past, Jordan slowly realizes that a Nazi killer may be hiding in plain sight.

Absolutely riveting. Full of suspense and intrigue, I could not put this book down. -Anne M

Playing the cards you're dealt

Varian Johnson

jFICTION Johnson Varian
Fiction, Read Woke

"Ten-year-old Anthony Joplin has made it to double digits! Which means he's finally old enough to play in the spades tournament every Joplin Man before him seems to have won. So while Ant's friends are stressing about fifth grade homework and girls, Ant only has one thing on his mind: how he'll measure up to his father's expectations at the card table. Then Ant's best friend gets grounded, and he's forced to find another spades partner. "

Playing the Cards You're Dealt is great for readers of all ages. Perfect for card players, fans of realistic fiction, and anyone who enjoys fabulously full characters, I can't wait to reread this one. -Casey

The ultimate meal prep cookbook : one grocery list. a week of meals. no waste

641.555 /America's
Cookbooks, Nonfiction

Meal prep no longer means filling your freezer with boring casseroles, dipping into the same pot of beans every day for a week, or spending all day Sunday cooking. Instead, use these smart meal plans to customize fast, fresh dinners that fit your ever-changing schedule. We've done the work of building 25 weekly plans that minimize shopping and kitchen time and guide you through prep-ahead options, make-ahead options, and ingredient substitutions. So now you can reap the benefits to make your life easier, your grocery bill lower, and your dinners better.

Meal-prepping is a grand idea in theory, but when do you have the time to meal-prep? My weekends are always filled with chores and entertaining the kiddo and puppy (the cats are self-sufficient, lol). I tried checking this book out anyway, and I'm happy I did. I found a 5-ingredient black bean soup with zero chopping required. 10-minute meal prep? Sign me up! The soup was very good to boot, so now I've got my lunches ready all week. Gotta love soup season! -Melody