World Elephant Day is August 12. But why do elephants get their own day? They’re just that cool, for one thing. And they’re endangered. WorldElephantDay.org explains: “The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent creature.”
Elephants are highly intelligent, with excellent memories and the ability to recognize themselves in reflections. They develop strong bonds with each other and live together in communities. Female and juvenile elephants herd together in groups led by matriarchs, while adolescent and adult males form their own separate herds. Elephants work collectively to protect their young, and they appear to mourn their dead. Continue reading “World Elephant Day”
“The Hearts of Men” is about intertwining friendships and families set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin at a beloved Boy Scout summer camp. The reason I enjoyed reading this book so much was I was invested in the characters and couldn’t wait to have more of their stories revealed to me. The author also peppered his novel with emotionally reflective comments which provide the reader a chance to have thoughtful reflection on parenting and society today.
Three words that describe this book: Insightful, Engaging and Page-turner
You might want to pick this book up if: you enjoy character-driven writing. There are five main characters in this book, one of which the reader journeys with for a period over 55 years.
-Kimberly
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Contemporary Color”
Website / Reviews
Playing at last year’s Boone Dawdle, this film shows an arena concert event in Brooklyn, New York, to celebrate the creativity of high school color guard: synchronized dance routines involving flags, rifles and sabers, colloquially known as “the sport of the arts.” David Byrne invited many musicians to create original compositions to accompany ten color guard teams’ performances. Continue reading “New DVD List: Contemporary Color & More”
In “My Sister Rosa,” a family arrives in New York City on a new business venture. They are a family of four with two kids, 17-year-old Che and 10-year-old Rosa. They meet another family that is investing in Che and Rosa’s family’s business. The children from both families become friends. The story is told by the point of view of Che. As he adjusts to life in a new city, with new friends and a new girlfriend, he suspects that his little sister is a psychopath. The story goes on about the creepy things that Rosa gets away with and how sweet and cute she is so no one suspects her. The ending is a huge twist that even I did not see coming. I enjoyed this one a lot. I was pleasantly surprised by this story.
Three words that describe this book: Creepy, Unsettling, and Psycho
You might want to pick this book up if: you like psychological thrillers.
-Michelle
Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released in August. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.
TOP PICKS
“Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life” by Jen Hatmaker
The New York Times best-selling author returns with another round of hilarious tales, shameless honesty and hope for the woman who has forgotten her moxie. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: August 2017”
Last Thanksgiving, while we were driving to visit extended family, we caught a segment on NPR about a man in the suburbs of Los Angeles who created fake news in order to try to expose extremist groups. His effort failed miserably, but it did highlight how easy it is to disseminate fake news.
We have heard a lot about fake news over the past year. I mean — a lot! But what does “fake news” even mean? There are websites, like The Borowitz Report and The Onion, that specialize in news satire, and, while it’s usually obvious that the stories from those sources are not “real,” sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish the satire from real news. There are also outlets like The Daily Show (originally hosted by Jon Stewart) and The Colbert Report that have been credited with covering the news better than actual news outlets. While that may be true in a sense, they are not “journalists,” and they are technically fake news, but this is also not what is meant by “fake news.” As pointed out by Sandra Borden and Chad Tew in their journal article, “The Role of Journalist and the Performance of Journalism: Ethical Lessons from “Fake” News” in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics,” “Stewart and Colbert do not share journalists’ moral commitments. Therefore, their performances are neither motivated nor constrained by these commitments … Rather than evaluating the work of Colbert and Stewart in the role of journalists, we propose analyzing their contributions to media ethics in the role of media critics.” Continue reading “What Is “Fake News”?”
“Stan Musial: An American Life” by George Vecsey ranks with Richard Ben Cramer’s portrait of Joe DiMaggio as one of the finest sports biographies I’ve read. Unlike some formulaic sports bios of statistical recitations with an overlay of superficial quotes, Vecsey’s bio of Musial is comprehensive without being ponderous. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of an American — and Missouri — icon whose public “nice guy” image actually matched his private persona. Vecsey takes the reader on a journey from Musial’s hard life growing up in Donora, PA, to his frustrations as a sore-armed minor league pitcher, to his ultimate ascent to Hall of Famer and successful businessman. Through it all, Musial was a family man and friend to all, regardless of their station in life (clubhouse personnel, James Michener, Pope John Paul II, et al.). Musial always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, and after reading this book, even a Cubs fan will be glad that he was.
Three words that describe this book: Illuminating; thorough; enoyable
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re a lover of all things quintessentially American; you’re a sports fan; you’re a Cardinals fan.
-Jeff
The library is hosting its annual cosplay event on Friday, August 4, and I could not be more excited.
What is this “cosplay” I speak of?
Cosplay is a contraction of the words costume + play. It is a performance art in which participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. These characters can come from anywhere: movies, comic books, video games or cartoons. Cosplay was born from the love of fandoms in the 1960s, but it has grown in scope. Continue reading “More Than a Costume Contest”
“Leaving Time” follows 13-year-old Jenna as she attempts to find out why her mother disappeared from her life 10 years ago. The book is written from several of the characters’ points of view, which gives a nice take on how each person is seeing the events, and it allows the author to give the history of the plot and give insight to what led Jenna to searching for her mother. I enjoyed the fact that the book was written from a few different perspectives. This book also explores the lives of elephants, as Jenna’s parent ran an elephant sanctuary and Jenna’s mother was/is a scientist who studies grief in elephants. I’m not sure if all the facts I read were true, but I really like elephants, and the information about them in the book was enjoyable. In addition, there is a good plot twist toward the end. Overall, a good read that I would recommend to others.
Three words that describe this book: Interesting, intriguing, easy read
You might want to pick this book up if: You like other Jodi Picoult novels.
-Megan
Poor 59-year-old Sookie. She’s the daughter of an elderly, demanding, wack-a-doodle, star quality mom who manages to get her three daughters married, leaving only her son to take the plunge. Sookie’s life with her devoted and supportive Great Dane-loving, dentist husband is fine. Except for the problem of the blue jays hogging the sunflower seeds in her bird feeders and preventing the little birds from eating, her life is pretty great. In managing her mom’s mail, a job she assumed when it became obvious mom couldn’t manage it herself (and Sookie needed to keep tabs on what mom was doing), she encounters a registered letter that shakes her to her very core with information indicating she is a year older than she thought.
In “The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion,” Fannie Flagg unfolds a tremendous story that seems so real, you’ll wish it were true. The wisdom and revelation makes this book one that, if politicians and all of us read and embraced the philosophy, our country would be in a better position. The historical relevance turns out to be the clever premise for the story.
GREAT, GREAT story!!
Three words that describe this book: patriotism, women, family
You might want to pick this book up if: Historical fiction with intriguing information about the WASP, who were the female pilots called to duty when the men left for WWII.
-Pamela
