“Command and Control” tells the true story of a 1980 nuclear weapons incident in Damascus, Arkansas – during routine maintenance at a Titan II missile silo in Damascus, a technician dropped a socket wrench which led to a fire in the silo, and eventually an explosion. The book also splices in parts of nuclear history and the history of nuclear war, which eventually ties together into the story of Damascus. I liked it because it’s a subject I am interested in, and I liked the way that it all came together in the end, and gives you a really big picture of the subject, while focusing in on one specific incident.
Three words that describe this book: Nuclear, History, Tense
You might want to pick this book up if: You are interested in military history, or the history of nuclear war.
-Robbie
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2022. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
“Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” is the true story of a large passenger ship on a trip across the Atlantic. In 1915, The Lusitania carried passengers from the US to England during the middle of World War I. The Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine, as she was completely without the protection of the Royal Navy. I really enjoyed this book because I like the history of submarine warfare, and I also liked all the details the author got into. I never knew anything about the Lusitania and I feel like by reading it that Larson was able to really let me know what it felt like to be on that ship, and start to understand the horror of its sinking.
Three words that describe this book: History, Tense, War
You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy naval history, world war history, or anything taking place on the ocean with lots of details. Early submarine warfare is also described a lot.
-Robbie
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2022. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
I have long found birds to be fascinating creatures. I often find myself looking out the window and admiring murmurations of birds as they wheel through the sky. And I enjoy watching the birds that gather at the bird feeder along with my cats. In the last few years, there have been an abundance of books published about birds. Below are just a few that I would like to highlight. But before we dive in, you might be curious about the misspelling in the title of “Birbs” instead of “Birds.” I would direct you to this fantastic article by the National Audubon Society, “When Is a Bird a ‘Birb’? An Extremely Important Guide.” The basic rules, of course, are a bird must be small, round and cute to be considered a birb!
One of the more well-known researchers of birds and a new personal favorite on the topic of birds for me is David Allen Sibley. In Sibley’s book, “What It’s Like To Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing — What Birds Are Doing, and Why”, he presents unique facts about a wide variety of birds. Sibley also does all the illustrations. Did you know that pigeons are actually much smarter than you might think? They can be taught to read a mammogram as well as a human can. Continue reading “Literary Links: Birds, Birds, Birbs!!!”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Reacher”
Season 1
Website / Reviews
Based on the bestselling book series by Lee Child, this TV show follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. When he is arrested for a murder he did not commit, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, shady businessmen and scheming politicians. Continue reading “New DVD List: Reacher, The Banshees of Inisherin, & More”
Let’s welcome in the new year with a few of the most notable adult fiction debut titles for January 2023, according to library journals. Oddly enough, this list ended up a bit on the dark side. But if you’re in the mood for a different kind of chill than the one in the air, or need something to counteract the sweetness of the holidays, give one of these a try. If you’re in the mood for something a little cheerier, there are a few happier options on this month’s list of debuts in our catalog.
“Better the Blood” by Michael Bennett
A tenacious Māori detective, Hana Westerman juggles single motherhood, endemic prejudice, and the pressures of her career in Auckland CIB. Led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man ritualistically hanging in a secret room and a puzzling inward-curving inscription. Delving into the investigation after a second, apparently unrelated, death, she uncovers a chilling connection to an historic crime: 160 years before, during the brutal and bloody British colonization of New Zealand, a troop of colonial soldiers unjustly executed a Māori Chief.
Hana realizes that the murders are utu — the Māori tradition of rebalancing for the crime committed eight generations ago. There were six soldiers in the British troop, and since descendants of two of the soldiers have been killed, four more potential murders remain. Hana is thus hunting New Zealand’s first serial killer.
The pursuit soon becomes frighteningly personal, recalling the painful event, two decades before, when Hana, then a new cop, was part of a police team sent to end by force a land rights occupation by indigenous peoples on the same ancestral mountain where the Chief was killed, calling once more into question her loyalty to her roots. Worse still, a genealogical link to the British soldiers brings the case terrifyingly close to Hana’s own family.
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: January 2023”
New Year, new books! Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in January. 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
“Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future” by Danielle Clode (Jan 17)
Koalas regularly appeared in Australian biologist Danielle Clode’s backyard, but it was only when a bushfire threatened that she truly paid them attention. She soon realized how much she had to learn about these complex and mysterious animals. In vivid, descriptive prose, Clode embarks on a delightful and surprising journey through evolutionary biology, natural history and ecology to understand where these enigmatic animals came from and what their future may hold. She begins her search with the fossils of ancient giant koalas, delving into why the modern koala has become the lone survivor of a once-diverse family of uniquely Australian marsupials. “Koala” investigates the remarkable physiology of these charismatic creatures. Born the size of tiny “jellybeans,” joeys face an uphill battle, from crawling into their mother’s pouch to being weaned onto a toxic diet of gum-tree leaves, the koalas’ single source of food. Clode explores the complex relationship and unexpected connections between this endearing species and humans. She explains how koalas are simultaneously threatened with extinction in some areas due to disease, climate change, and increasing wildfires, while overpopulating forests in other parts of the country. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: January 2023”
As someone who has attempted both novel writing and earning a spot on survival-based reality shows, a novel about a survival-based reality show gone wrong is certainly something a fiction writing AI would’ve eventually generated for me. Fortunately for literature, me, and the real human that wrote it, a real human wrote a novel about a survival-based reality show gone wrong. While I am inevitably rejected during the audition process as apparently everyone that hosts auditions finds it at best distasteful when the auditioner weeps upon being denied a snack break or a quick nap, and my novel submissions are generally returned with little more than a note asking how I managed to get so much marinara sauce on it, I am still pleased when other people succeed in these endeavors.
I’m currently pleased because I’m thinking about how successful Blair Braverman’s first novel, “Small Game,” is. Mara, an instructor for a school intended to let the wealthy cosplay as competent survivalists for a weekend, is approached to take part in a reality game show in which the winner gets a cash prize. The cash is enough to change her life, so she agrees. Another contestant is there to get famous, one to get the attention of an estranged daughter, another to get enough cash to follow his dreams, and one other is there to leave almost immediately once sensing that things are maybe not up to snuff with this production. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Blair Braverman”
When I saw this book, “Parks and Recreation, The Official Cookbook,” I knew I had to read and review it.
Disclaimer:
I absolutely LOVE the show “Parks and Recreation,” so take my impending gushing with a grain of salgur.
First, a bit about the author, Jenn Fujikawa. She is “an author and content creator specializing in lifestyle and pop culture.” She has her own cooking blog and her recipes have been featured in numerous places, including Food & Wine magazine. Currently, we have one other of her cookbooks. Continue reading “Read the Recipe! Literally My New Favorite Cookbook”
Nora, the owner of the bookstore Miracle Books, is asked to help Deputy Andrews prepare a book-themed wedding proposal for her friend, Heather. Although Nora is happy to help, she also knows the secret Heather hasn’t had the courage to share with her boyfriend. A secret that could bring their romance to an end.
Heather’s tangled family history, a murdered stranger, and mysterious rare books provide a quick read full of twists and turns. If you enjoy cozy mysteries and strong female friendships you’ll want to read “The Vanishing Type.”
This book is the fifth book in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series. Reading the previous books will help fill out the characters’ backgrounds, but each book can stand on its own. As a bonus: Nora’s customer recommendations in each novel will give you plenty of titles to add to your reading list.
Three words that describe this book: absorbing, well-written, surprising
You might want to pick this book up if: If you enjoy cozy mysteries and strong female friendships you’ll want to read this book.
-Sue
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2022. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
“Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall” takes the reader on a journey through the development and impacts, both structurally and socially, of the shopping mall. The author admits to having a penchant for architecture, so much of the early part of the book focuses on that aspect of malls. As the author expands upon the cultural transformation of malls, it grasps a larger audience of readers — unless you really like architecture, then you’re hooked from the beginning.
The author highlights the cyclical nature of malls’ popularity and decline over the years as society and its needs evolve. It’s particularly interesting to see the cycle play out presently, with the impacts of COVID-19 (which the author also addresses). Is the mall really dead or will there be a resurgence? This book dives into that complex question with historical context, leaving the reader to continue pondering the question; which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Three words that describe this book: Architectural, Cultural, Nostalgic
You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy architectural history, nostalgia, and exploring the societal significance of popular places.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2022. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
