As I have gotten older, I have found myself appreciating well-written nonfiction books. I have used several of these titles for book discussions over the years and many of the participants have been pleased to discover they also can enjoy a good nonfiction book. Some of the titles from our Book Discussion Groups Educated by … Continue reading Maggie’s Favorite Nonfiction
Maggie’s Favorite Fiction
I am retiring at the end of the year so I am going to take the next two blogs to make my last recommendations. It's actually hard because I have loved so many books that I've read since coming to Richards Memorial Library in 1999. But here goes... Books we've read for Book Discussions Fragile … Continue reading Maggie’s Favorite Fiction
Chill with a Thriller: Thrillers from 2020
I usually do my "Chill with a Thriller" display in August, but I'm sure September will be hot enough us to still need to chill. We might even want to face some imaginary scary events rather than the real ones. When I'm ordering fiction, I usually order more thrillers as a genre than anything else … Continue reading Chill with a Thriller: Thrillers from 2020
Mystery Series Too Good to Miss
Roderic Jeffries: Inspector Enrique Alvarez series We used to have more of these, but since the early ones were written in the 1970s, many people have never heard of this author. The setting is Majorca (a Spanish island in the Mediterranean) and Inspector Alvarez is a laid-back policeman who manages to solve all the crimes. … Continue reading Mystery Series Too Good to Miss
Armchair Travel: Scandinavia
In the heat of summer is a good time to visit Scandinavia. But where is this area of the world? According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica, "Scandinavia, historically Scandia, part of northern Europe, generally held to consist of the two countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway and Sweden, with the addition of Denmark. Some authorities … Continue reading Armchair Travel: Scandinavia
Armchair Travel: Australia and New Zealand
Explore Australia and New Zealand while you wait for an opportunity to visit in person. You can place holds on our books because we now have "local" holds lists. If it is available only in Storage, call to have it pulled for you. Don't place a hold on the item if it is listed as … Continue reading Armchair Travel: Australia and New Zealand
Armchair Travel: The British Isles
We aren't doing any traveling right now, but I hope we can again in the future. While we are waiting, we can travel in our mind with books, and visually through video. (Also, by song, but I didn't go there.) My first big trip once I retire is going to be to England so I … Continue reading Armchair Travel: The British Isles
Coming of Age Redux
One of the best books I've read this year is This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. (It's our May afternoon book discussion book.)Â It is a coming-of-age book modeled on Huckleberry Finn in that the main characters take a journey on a river and discover themselves along the way. I was again struck by … Continue reading Coming of Age Redux
Revisiting some Romantic Favorites
Fifteen or twenty years ago I used to read a lot of romance novels, but I fell out of the habit other than Jayne Anne Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle books. I happened upon a Susan Elizabeth Phillips' paperback in the donation pile: Dream a Little Dream. It is one of the books in the Chicago Stars series. … Continue reading Revisiting some Romantic Favorites
Debut Fiction and Library Aware Newsletters
Usually the big display for January is "New Kids on the Block -- Debut Fiction" which features the books the library purchased during the previous year that are the first novels by the authors featured. This year, however, I decided to put books on display that were rated "A" on the blue slip we put … Continue reading Debut Fiction and Library Aware Newsletters