“The Bomber Mafia” is a brief history of the American bomber squad during World War II. The author describes the changing techniques of aerial bombing from the early part of WWII to the very end of the war. This book was actually written to be an audiobook, so that is how I “read” it. The narrator is the author himself, and he used recorded interviews, music, and sound effects to help tell the story. It is an engaging audiobook, much more than any other audiobook I’ve listened to.
Three words that describe this book: History, aerial bombing, Japan.
You might want to pick this book up if: If you like to read about the Pacific theater in World War II, then this is the book for you.
-Elaine
This reader review was previously submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
Audrey Dae is a Columbia, MO author whose debut book is “What You’re In For.” The book is a young adult fiction adventure-thriller that follows a range of teens over a particularly explosive Fourth of July weekend in the Missouri Ozarks. Dae is currently completing a degree in English from the University of Missouri, where she interns for The Missouri Review literary magazine. She was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email. Continue reading “Q&A With Audrey Dae, Author of “What You’re In For””
Set during Ernest Hemingway’s time residing in Key West, “Hemingway’s Girl” cleverly weaves together historical nonfiction with a fiction tale. The main character, Mariella, is a strong, young female whose life is turned upside down when her father suddenly passes. She has a dream of a life spent as a charter boat captain but circumstances take her into Ernest Hemingway’s home as his housekeeper. You’ll be captivated by her story, her relationship with Hemingway and the choices she makes along the way. I would highly recommend this book!
Three words that describe this book: Historical, dramatic, captivating
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re interested in learning about Hemingway’s life while he lived in Key West. You love Key West and the idea of tropical living. You like reading about main characters who are strong-willed females, willing to take risks in life to go for what they want.
-Amanda
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
There are currently over 6 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the CDC, “Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging.” The Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Missouri is a local resource for anyone seeking information about Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association says there are many conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies. Alzheimer’s Disease is currently not curable. However, there are some medications and therapies that can slow cognitive decline or help with symptoms. It is good to weigh any medication’s benefits with its side effects. Continue reading “Literary Links: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”
Season 1
Website / Reviews
This science fiction TV series follows Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise as they explore new worlds throughout the galaxy during the decade before “Star Trek: The Original Series.” A spin-off from “Star Trek: Discovery,” the series consists of episodic storytelling mixed with serialized character arcs. Continue reading “New DVD List: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds & More”
Most of us learned something about haiku in school. It’s the tiny poem that packs a big punch. “Many think haiku is strictly a 5-7-5 syllable pattern ending in a 17-syllable poem, and it can be that, but more important is the image. A haiku is the fewest words, one to three lines, that appeal to the senses and focus on nature.” This explanation of the form comes from Missouri Poet Laureate, Maryfrances Wagner, who in conjunction with the Missouri Arts Council, is spearheading the Missouri Haiku Project. “I’m inviting all Missourians to create haiku poems that reflect nature in Missouri and share them, read them or turn them into art,” Wagner says.
The project runs through May 23, with events occurring throughout the state, including “Tea and Haiku” in the Columbia Public Library Friends Room, Tuesday, April 11 at 7-8 p.m. Haiku enthusiast Christine Boyle will be your guide for a fun and relaxed hour of writing and sharing short poems over tea. A selection of your poetry will be displayed in the library following the event! Tea and writing materials will be provided. This program is a part of the Missouri Poet Laureate Haiku Project and is for adults and teens. No registration is required and all skill levels are welcome.
For more haiku joy, take a look at one or more the following titles: Continue reading “Tea & Haiku: Missouri Haiku Project”
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in April. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them” by Timothy Egan (Apr 4)
A historical thriller by the Pulitzer and National Book Award-winning author that tells the riveting story of the Klan’s rise to power in the 1920s, the cunning con man who drove that rise, and the woman who stopped them. The Roaring Twenties — the Jazz Age — has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson. Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows — their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman — Madge Oberholtzer — who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: April 2023”
You know the saying “if you’ve met one…” whoever? Well, if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person. Not to say that autistic people are snowflakes, but every one has a very unique set of lived experiences. While representation is improving, the common or popular image of an autistic person (or a person with autism, depending on where you stand with that debate) is usually defined by misrepresentations, oversimplifications or inaccurate portrayals by the media — often representing autistic adults as childlike or a “savant” which is exceedingly rare, even in the autistic community. Also, much that we know about autistic life comes from those neurotypical people that support or interact with neurodivergent people showing autism through the lens of the hardship that it places on caregivers and family rather than how it feels to actually be autistic. Through that lens, autism is seen as an inconvenience to the world rather than how the world affects the person on the autism spectrum.
It’s so important to have representation from many different people of what the autism experience actually feels like for them. Having a diversity of autistic characters in media means that autism will be better understood in society at large. A better understanding of autism means it is safer for autistic people to acknowledge their autism. And when autistic people can live authentically autistic lives, they can flourish. There is currently a paradigm shift happening in the autism community to center people with the hashtag #ActuallyAutistic. Continue reading “#ActuallyAutistic: April is Autism Acceptance Month”
Wow! This is a book that I picked up and absolutely could not put down! Knowing that “Uprising” was a book about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, I initially had the preconceived notion that the text would be quite predictable. Instead, it was a whirlwind of unpredictability as it followed the lives of three very well-developed characters of the time period — with twists all the way to the very end! Unlike other books that have tackled this subject, this author delves deeply into the circumstances leading up to the fire, drawing a very clear line between the previous labor strikes and the tragedy of this event. I also appreciated the author’s note at the end, where she points out the changes that came from this event as well as ways to further research injustices still happening today. By doing so, Haddix brings this text full circle — sharing the history of the event and the relevancy to the work that still needs to be done today!
Three words that describe this book: Tragic, inspiring, relevant
You might want to pick this book up if: You like historical fiction and books written for the perspective of different characters.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2022. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
Vintage clothing is popular right now. There is a growing interest in slow fashion, in well-crafted clothing and in exploring styles that favor a person’s body type. Some people enjoy the fabrics and construction of older clothing. Other people want to reproduce a look made popular by celebrities or social media influencers. What is vintage? Vintage clothing is anything more than 50 years old. So pre-1972. Unfortunately, the fabric is not always in good shape in older clothing or it’s hard to find a look you like in your size. What to do? Sew your own! Continue reading “Sew Your Own Vintage Style”
