Nonfiction Roundup: March 2019

Posted on Monday, March 4, 2019 by Liz

Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released this March. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.

Top Picks

Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals” by Rachel Hollis

Rachel Hollis has seen it too often: women not living into their full potential. They feel a tugging on their hearts for something more, but they’re afraid of embarrassment, of falling short of perfection, of not being enough. She knows that many women have been taught to define themselves in the light of other people– whether as wife, mother, daughter, or employee– instead of learning how to own who they are and what they want. With a challenge to women everywhere to stop talking themselves out of their dreams, Hollis identifies the excuses to let go of, the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth, confidence, and believing in yourself.

Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day” by Giles Milton

A ground-breaking gripping account of the first 24 hours of the D-Day invasion told by a symphony of incredible accounts of unknown and unheralded members of the Allied – and Axis – forces by one of the world’s most lively historians. An epic battle that involved 156,000 men, 7,000 ships, and 20,000 armored vehicles, the desperate struggle that unfolded on 6 June 1944 was, above all, a story of individual heroics- of men who were driven to keep fighting until the German defenses were smashed and the precarious beachheads secured. This authentic human story – Allied, German, French – has never fully been told.  Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: March 2019”

Reader Review: The Outsider

Posted on Friday, March 1, 2019 by patron reviewer

Editor’s note: This review was submitted by a library patron during the 2018 Adult Summer Reading program. We will continue to periodically share some of these reviews throughout the year.

The Outsider book cover

How can someone be in two places at once? Stephen King and his fictional investigators examine this question in “The Outsider” as they investigate a horrific murder. An upstanding member of the community is accused after numerous witnesses attest that he committed the crime, but he has proof that he did not. Soon, the investigators learn that something similar happened in another case. In typical King fashion, a supernatural explanation turns out to be the solution to the puzzle. King combines elements of horror, the supernatural and mystery in this captivating (and terrifying) read.

Three words that describe this book: horror, mystery, supernatural

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy Dean Koontz, John Saul, horror novels

-Sarah

LibraryReads: February 2019

Posted on Monday, February 25, 2019 by Kat

Library Reads logo

I’m excited to share these LibraryReads with you! We have a great variety of books for you including fantasy and a graphic novel, but if those aren’t your cup of tea, fear not, there’s something for everyone. Check out these newly-published librarian favorites:

Silent Patient book coverThe Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides

“Led on a dark path, readers will quickly guess that there’s more to Alicia’s story than what meets the eye. But the big surprises lie in the deep betrayals and the shock of an ending. Dark, twisted, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware.”
~Amy Fellows, Multnomah County Library, Portland,OR Continue reading “LibraryReads: February 2019”

Sleet or Shine, the True/False Film Fest Is Nigh

Posted on Friday, February 22, 2019 by DBRL_Katie

T-F Lauren2016
One of our fearless Columbia Public Library managers with the T/F Queen, Carolyn Magnuson, who was honored as the parade mascot with a giant Papier-mâché effigy in March 2018. If you can’t tell from the photo, her button says “WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE.” I think their hug pretty well sums up how we at DBRL feel about the True/False Film Festival! (Photo from 2016)

Continue reading “Sleet or Shine, the True/False Film Fest Is Nigh”

Climate Reality Project Event and Resources

Posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 by Ida

An Inconvenient TruthWe’ve been aware of climate change for quite a while now. The documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” — chronicling former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s efforts to educate the public on the urgency of the issue — was released way back in 2006. A book by the same title was published that year, as well. As of 2017, humanity hadn’t yet solved the problem of our warming planet, so we got a reminder notice in the form of a new documentary and a new book, both titled “An Inconvenient Sequel.” Continue reading “Climate Reality Project Event and Resources”

Read Harder 2019: A Book of Humor

Posted on Monday, February 18, 2019 by Reading Addict

This task is rather hard to write about because it is so subjective. There have been a lot of books that people have handed me and said they were “just hilarious,” but I didn’t find them all that funny. I’ve also tried to pass on books I found funny to others just to have them flop. What can I tell you? A lot of humor comes down to timing. On the other hand, the task for the challenge is actually very easy, you just have to find a book, any book, that makes YOU laugh out loud. Maybe you can start with a comedian you really like and see if they have written a book, although that is no guarantee, either — Gilda Radner’s book was wonderful but it was NOT funny.

Here are some of my favorite books that made me laugh out loud and, if the timing is right, maybe they will work for you too. Continue reading “Read Harder 2019: A Book of Humor”

Cool Season Gardening

Posted on Friday, February 15, 2019 by Larkspur

Although nowhere near the Master Gardener level, I’m a somewhat seasoned gardener. In fact, I’ve sown many vegetable/flower/herb seeds after the danger of frost has passed in the mid-spring of early May, planted through the summer months, and also well into mid-fall, when I annually bed down garlic cloves to slowly grow into harvestable bulbs by the following June. Recently I decided to indulge my love of milkweed, the host plant for Monarch butterflies, and purchased eight of the possible hundreds of varieties of milkweed seed. Upon their receipt in February, I will scatter them on the winter ground, so they will get the freeze they need to germinate this spring. It’s truly satisfying to grow some of my own food, and help tend a happy habitat of eye-catching, perennial wildflowers for birds and insects of all sorts, all the while being intimately engaged with the natural cycles of the seasons here on Mother Earth. Continue reading “Cool Season Gardening”

New DVD List: Brimstone & Glory & More

Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 by Decimal Diver

Brimstone and Glory image
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.

Brimstone and Glory DVD coverBrimstone & Glory
Website / Reviews
Shown previously at the True False Film Fest and Center Aisle Cinema, this documentary focuses on the National Pyrotechnic Festival in Tultepec, Mexico. For the three-quarters of Tultepec residents who work in pyrotechnics, the festival anchors their way of life. It is an explosive event with unrestrained delight and real peril. Plunging headlong into the fire, this film honors the spirit of Tultepec’s community and celebrates celebration itself. Continue reading “New DVD List: Brimstone & Glory & More”

Reader Review: The Night Circus

Posted on Monday, February 11, 2019 by patron reviewer

Editor’s note: This review was submitted by a library patron during the 2018 Adult Summer Reading program. We will continue to periodically share some of these reviews throughout the year.

Night Circus book cover

The Night Circus” is about a mysterious circus that appears at night unannounced. Unbeknownst to the guests, the circus is actually the location of a duel between two young magicians. It’s a battle of imagination and will, and neither knows all the details of the game they’re really playing. I loved the writing. The slow burning romance was fantastic. I really enjoyed the mystery and never minded that it was a little slow at times. I jumped in without reading what it was about beforehand and I’m very glad I did!

Three words that describe this book: Magical, Enchanting, Whimsical

You might want to pick this book up if: You love stories about romance, magic and the circus.

-Jessica