Nonfiction
A year in Japan
Kate T. (Kate Tower) Williamson
759.13 /Williamson
Nonfiction, Art / Art History, Travel
The author spent a year living in Kyoto and focuses on the lesser-known aspects of the country and culture.
Grant Wood's Memorial Masterpiece
Barbara Feller
759.13 /Wood
Nonfiction, Art / Art History
Two years before Grant Wood painted American Gothic, he began working on what the author believes to be his most important work of art: a stained-glass window honoring Iowa's veterans for the newly built Veteran's Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A fitting tribute to the memory of veterans of the six wars Americans had fought to its date, the window is one of our nation's finest war memorials. With its fifty-eight sections stretching twenty feet wide and twenty-four feet high, it is also one of the largest in the world. Grant Wood's Memorial Masterpiece traces the compelling story of his struggle to produce this breathtaking work and how it led him to develop the unique Regionalist style for which he is recognized around the world.
I learned about this book from the State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City office, which is hosting an event for the author on Saturday, June 7, 2025. I did not grow up in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, so I didn't know much about Grant Wood until moving here. Of course I knew about American Gothic, but did I know about the "Plaid Sweater" painting at the Stanley, where a young boy poses with his pigskin? I showed that painting to my football-loving son who rolled his eyes at me. This book is all about his stained glass masterpiece, Memorial, at the Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids. Feller does extensive research on the composition of this work and argues this was the piece that set him on his way to becoming a Regionalist master artist. Local art history fans, check this book out! -Melody
Birds of prey of the Midwest
Stan, Tekiela
598.90977 /Tekiela
Nonfiction, Animals, Nature
Learn to identify raptors, and make bird-watching even more enjoyable. With Stan Tekiela’s famous field guide, bird identification is simple and informative. This book features 34 species―including every species of raptor found in the Midwest. For ease of use, the guide is organized by group: hawks, eagles, falcons, kites, vultures, and owls. So when you see a bird of prey, you can determine its group by common visual characteristics. Then turn to the corresponding section to find out what it is! Book Features: Only Midwestern birds of prey: every raptor species found in the Midwest Organized for efficient use: species organized by group, then size from smallest to largest Fact-filled information: accessible for beginners but informative for more experienced birders Stunning photos: professional-quality sharpness and detail Stan’s Notes: naturalist information and interesting facts not found in other guides Quick-Compare section: sketches, silhouettes, and photos for side-by-side comparisons
It is almost June and we are entering prime hiking and nature walk season. Whether it's a stroll along the paths at Terry Trueblood or a secluded trek through local preserves or parks, keep an ear out for the birdsongs that carry you along. And keep an eye out for birds of prey. This pocket-sized field guide will be your best friend when your smartphone signal is weak. I even wish I had something like this while at the dog park sometimes. Is that a Cooper's Hawk or a Merlin? With this book, I can find out. -Melody
All kinds of things = Todo tipo de cosas
Bernadette Gervais
j463 Gervais
Kids, Picture Books, Nonfiction
"A colorful, eye-catching word book--written in both English and Spanish--showing us how everyday things are connected in unique ways. What do a watering can, a shoe, and a saltshaker have in common? What about a kangaroo, popcorn, and a spring? From the mind of award-winning author/illustrator Bernadette Gervais, discover the answers to these questions, and learn about other similarly interesting connections, in Stuff/Cosas. Arranging animals, objects, and other items in a fashion at times humorous and poetic, this picture book--written in both English and Spanish--organizes our world in a unique way, bringing together more than 200 large, magnificent images created with stencils and brushes. Marvel at how much more things have in common than you might've thought!"--
This book is fully bilingual, so can be enjoyed by Spanish speakers, English speakers, or people trying to learn either of those languages. The groupings of objects are interesting and clever, but the bold illustrations are what make this book stand out - I want to frame every page for my wall. Just gorgeous, blocky, colorful, and beautiful! -Anne W
Endurance : Shackleton's incredible voyage
Lansing, Alfred.
919.8904 /Lansing
Adventure, Nonfiction, History
Bound for Antarctica, where polar explorer Ernest Shackleton planned to cross on foot the last uncharted continent, the Endurance set sail from England in August 1914. In January 1915, after battling its way for six weeks through a thousand miles of pack ice and now only a day's sail short of its destination, the Endurance became locked in an island of ice. For ten months the ice-moored Endurance drifted northwest before it was finally crushed. But for Shackleton and his crew of twenty-seven men the ordeal had barely begun. It would end only after a near-miraculous journey by Shackleton and a skeleton crew through over 850 miles of the South Atlantic's heaviest seas to the closest outpost of civilization. This astonishing tale of survival by Shackleton and all twenty-seven of his men for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time magazine put it, "defined heroism."
In what could be considered the ultimate survival story, Alfred Lansing expertly recounts Ernest Shackleton's doomed Antarctic expedition. Almost stranger than fiction, Shackleton and his crew were up against incredible odds: a hopelessly trapped ship, freezing temperatures, diminishing food supplies, and zero chance of rescue...to somehow live to tell the tale. This real-time account of the Shackleton expedition is perfect for readers who crave stories of the indomitable spirit of the human will, and the lengths one will go to survive. -Madison C
The royal art of poison : filthy palaces, fatal cosmetics, deadly medicine, and murder most foul
Herman, Eleanor, 1960- author.
364.1523 /Herman
Nonfiction, History, Science, True Crime
Traces the history of poison in centuries of royal courts, from the intentional posionings to the unintentional side effects of commonly used makeup and medications.
Royal life isn't all fancy ball gowns, glittering jewels, and lavish banquets - it also came with the near-constant fear of being poisoned (sometimes from actual, malicious people, more often from the royal family's own unbeknownst doing). For anyone intrigued by the surreal realities behind the glitz and glamor of royal life, Eleanor Herman's meticulously researched book pulls back the curtain on the poisonous side of European royalty. -Madison C
What if? : serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions
Munroe, Randall, author, illustrator.
500 /Munroe
Humor, Nonfiction, Science
Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions: What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? What would happen if the moon went away? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators runssponses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by his signature xkcd comics. (They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion.) In celebration of 10 years of unusual insight, Randall Munroe has revised his classic blockbuster to ask what if? x 10. The result is 10x the adventure of scientific inquiry. "What If?" explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much smarter for having read.
Author Randall Munroe is here to answer all the ridiculous questions you have always been wondering about but never brave enough to ask. Have you pondered what humanity's odds are in a robot apocalypse? What about how much Force power Yoda can output? This witty, bizarre, laugh-out-loud read is perfect for curious minds and the young at hear who never stopped asking, "Why?". -Madison C
Packing for Mars : the curious science of life in the void
Roach, Mary.
571.0919 /Roach
Humor, Nonfiction, Science
The author of "Stiff and Bonk" explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As the author discovers, it's possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), she takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.
Have you ever wondered about the unsexy side of space travel - from going to the bathroom to getting motion sickness? Mary Roach's laugh-out-loud book about the more practical side of space travel is perfect for those who have ever wondered how scientists keep our fragile bodies alive in the void of space. -Madison C
Impossible monsters : dinosaurs, Darwin, and the battle between science and religion
Taylor, Michael (Michael Hugh), 1988- author.
567.90941 /Taylor
Nonfiction, History, Religion, Science
When the twelve-year-old daughter of a British carpenter pulled some strange-looking bones from the country's southern shoreline in 1811, few people dared to question that the Bible told the accurate history of the world. But Mary Anning had in fact discovered the 'first' ichthyosaur, and over the next seventy-five years--as the science of paleontology developed, as Charles Darwin posited radical new theories of evolutionary biology, and as scholars began to identify the internal inconsistencies of the Scriptures--everything changed. Beginning with the archbishop who dated the creation of the world to 6 p.m. on October 22, 4004 BC, and told through the lives of the nineteenth-century men and women who found and argued about these seemingly impossible, history-rewriting fossils, "Impossible Monsters" reveals the central role of dinosaurs and their discovery in toppling traditional religious authority, and in changing perceptions about the Bible, history, and mankind's place in the world.
Dinosaurs not only rocked the Earth but also rocked the very foundations of religious belief. Blending science history and societal upheaval, Michael Taylor's novel explores how giant fossilized "monsters" upended centuries of theology and sparked a scientific revolution. This book is great for readers interested in history-making discoveries, especially those that helped give rise to the secular age. -Madison C
Crown & sceptre : a new history of the British monarchy, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II
Borman, Tracy, author.
941 /Borman
Nonfiction, History, Political
Since William the Conqueror crossed the English Channel in 1066 to defeat King Harold II and unite England's various kingdoms, forty-one kings and queens have sat on Britain's throne: "shining examples of royal power and majesty alongside a rogue's gallery of weak, lazy, or evil monarchs," as Tracy Borman evocatively describes them in her sparkling chronicle, "Crown & Sceptre." Ironically, during very few of these 955 years has the throne's occupant been unambiguously English. Appealing to the intrinsic fascination with British royalty, Borman lifts the veil to reveal the remarkable characters and personalities who have ruled and, since the Glorious Revolution of 1688, have more ceremonially reigned-a crucial distinction explaining the staying power of the monarchy as the royal family has evolved and adapted to the needs and opinions of its people, avoiding the storms of rebellion that brought many of Europe's royals to an abrupt end.
If you've ever dreamed of living in a castle, wearing a crown, and ruling your own kingdom (without the coups), then Tracy Borman's book is perfect for you! Tracing the history of the British monarchy, from William the Conqueror to King Charles III, "Crown & Sceptre" brings centuries of royal history to life. -Madison C
This was such a wonderful read! Filled with beautiful illustrations, Kate Williamson takes us on a journey through her experiences living in Japan. The book reads much like a journal, with handwritten anecdotes detailing the intricacies of everyday life from moon-viewing parties, to self-expression through phone charms. A truly lovely book! -Violette