OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY
THE LIBRARIANS’
BEDSIDE TABLE
Our annual BOOK SALE IS BACK! May 17th to the 21st.
We are thrilled to announce that our book sale will take place this year.
Monday, May 16th (Set up day) Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 (OPEN TO THE PUBLIC) Our book sale proceeds benefit our future programming and activities, so please consider to sign up to volunteer (if you have not already) or to simply stop by and purchase books, Cds, audiobooks, movies and more, all for a good cause. The Annual Book Sale will take place during the library’s hours of operation.
Oscar Grady Public Library Mission Statement:
The mission of the Oscar Grady Public Library is to provide high interest, high demand materials and make them readily available from the Library’s collection or through interlibrary loan. The Library supports lifelong learning, information and recreational needs for people of all ages and abilities. Special emphasis is placed on stimulating children’s interests and appreciation for reading and learning. The integration of new technology with traditional library resources is used to expand service beyond the Library’s physical walls.
On this new issue of our “Librarians’ Bedside Table”, we compiled a list of really good titles recommended by your library friends. Each title can be accessed in electronic format for your convenience. Click or tap in the hyperlinks attached to each title that will take you right to them in the Monarch Catalog. We hope you enjoy this selection of books from your
librarians at the Oscar Grady Public Library!
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Jen Gerber, our Library Director, would like to recommend the following title:
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman-rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war"-- Provided by publisher.
Debra Jo, Library Assistant and ILL Specialist would like to recommend the following title:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her luck changes in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves her virtually his entire fortune. The only catch? Avery must move into his sprawling mansion, full of secret passages, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just disinherited. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic boys who grew up with every expectation that, one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con woman, and he's determined to take her down. But his brother Jameson views her as their grand-father's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive"-- Provided by publisher
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Thanks to a DNA test, Avery Grambs knows that she is not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined. Grayson and Jameson, the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne grandsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions. Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons ... and there are those who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture-- by any means necessary. -- Provided by publisher.
Hope would like to recommend this title:
Men in My Stuation by Per Petterson What an unusual book! Several times I thought I would stop reading, but then I would start again. Something kept urging me to see how the story ended. Arvid, an author, has lost his parents and siblings when a ship they were on caught fire. A year later his wife divorces him and takes their three daughters away. For a while he sees his daughters on some weekends, but then they decide not to come anymore. How lost and alone he must be! I felt the story rambled and was as disjointed as he probably felt. The story related where he went, how he spent his time, and the women he encountered. I was thankful I stayed with the book so I could see how it ended. This I can not share as then there would be no reason for you to read the book.
Wanting to learn a new language? Transparent Language Online provides a fun, effective, and engaging experience for learners of all levels looking to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language. All you need is your library card barcode number and an e-mail address.
Hope, our Collection Developer would like to recommend this title:
To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters (DVD - Masterpiece) Ever since they were revealed to the world as quaint country-women, the Brontë sisters have fascinated legions of devoted readers. MASTERPIECE brings these remarkable literary geniuses to life with a beautifully filmed and acted two-hour drama, To Walk Invisible The Brontë Sisters. Written and directed by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax), To Walk Invisible depicts the evolution of secluded, dutiful clergyman’s daughters into authors of the most controversial fiction of the 1840s. The drama stars Finn Atkins (Eden Lake) as Charlotte, who shocked society with her edgy epic, Jane Eyre; Chloe Pirrie (War and Peace) as Emily, author of the darkly gothic and disturbing Wuthering Heights; and Charlie Murphy (Happy Valley) as Anne, whose penned the true-to-life love story The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Based largely on Charlotte’s letters, the film follows the Brontë sisters in the eventful three-year period that saw them rise from ordinary, unmarried women, taking care of the household and their widowed father, to the secret authors of the world’s most sensational literature.
Oscar Grady Public Library
Adult Book Discussion All are welcome to attend!
Tuesday, April 19th, 6:30 pm The Exiles
By Christina Baker Kline Limited copies of this book will be available at the circulation desk. All are welcome to attend!
www.oscargradylibrary.org Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant novel about three women whose lives are bound together in nineteenth-century Australia and the hardships they weather together as they fight for redemption and freedom in a new society.
In this gorgeous novel, Christina Baker Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. Told in exquisite detail and incisive prose, The Exiles is a story of grace born from hardship, the unbreakable bonds
Oscar Grady Public Library
Adult Book Discussion All are welcome to attend!
Tuesday, May 17th, 6:30 pm Milkman
By Anna Burns Limited copies of this book will be available at the circulation desk. All are welcome to attend!
www.oscargradylibrary.org Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
In Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1970s, an unnamed narrator finds herself targeted by a high-ranking dissident known as Milkman. In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister is our protagonist. She is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her nearly-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman (which for the life of her, she cannot work out how it came about). But when first brother-in-law, who of course had sniffed it out, told his wife, her first sister, to tell her mother to come and have a talk with her, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a searingly honest novel told in prose that is as
Oscar Grady Public Library
It Happened in Wisconsin:
Firestorm at Peshtigo
Monday, April 25th, 6PM Join us for a discussion around the book:
Firestorm at Peshtigo: A town, it’s people and the deadliest fire in American history. by Denise Gess Limited copies available for check out. Calling all history buffs to join us for “It Happened in Wisconsin”, our very own history club at the library dedicated to
On October 8, 1871―the same night as the Great Chicago Fire―the lumber town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, was struck with a five-mile-wide wall of flames, borne on tornado-force winds of one hundred miles per hour that tore across more than 2,400 square miles of land, obliterating the town in less than one hour and killing more than two thousand people. Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
www.oscargradylibrary.org
Miss Julie would like to recommend these titles:
P is for Pterodactyl: the worst alphabet book ever by Raj Haldar Turning the traditional idea of an alphabet book on its head, P is for Pterodactyl is perfect for anyone who has ever been stumped by silent letters or confused by absurd homophones. This whimsical, unique book takes silent letter entries like "K is for Knight" a step further with "The noble knight's knife nicked the knave's knee." Lively illustrations provide context clues, and alliterative words help readers navigate text like "a bright white gnat is gnawing on my gnocchi" with ease. Everyone from early learners to grown-up grammarians will love this wacky book where "A is for Aisle" but "Y is definitely not for Why." Provided by publisher
Will it waffle? : 53 unexpected and irresistible recipes to make in a waffle iron
by Daniel Shumski How often do you use your waffler? Shumski shows you creative ways to think about your food, from waffled bacon and eggs to waffled tuna salad, and waffled s'mores. Provided by publisher.
Oscar Grady Public Library
Morning Storytime
Tuesdays starting April 19, 10:30 a.m. Waddle over for storytime this spring!
Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
Come and enjoy weekly storytimes filled with rhymes, songs, dancing and, of course, wonderful stories specially designed for preschoolers ages 2-5 years old. The fun begins April 19 and runs through May 24. As always, Storytime is free to attend, though Registration is required. Sign up starts March 21 and can be done in person or over the phone. See you there!
www.oscargradylibrary.org
Oscar Grady Public Library
Evening Storytime
Wednesdays starting April 20, 6:30p.m. Enjoy stories and songs with friends before hopping into bed! Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
Join us for weekly storytimes filled with rhymes, songs, dancing and, of course, fun-filled stories . Children can come dressed in their pajamas and bring a stuffed animal if they would like. The fun begins April 20 and runs through May 25. Storytime is free to attend, though registration is required. Sign up starts March 21 and can be done in person or over the phone. Families welcome!
www.oscargradylibrary.org
Martin, our Assistant Director, would like to recommend this title:
PUTIN: His Downfall and Russia’s Coming Crash by Richard Lourie This is a book that as soon as you start reading it you will rub your forehead and said to yourself but out loud: now I get it! Written by an expert consultant on Russia and published author with several titles under his arms, Mr. Lourie’s book, which it was published back in 2017, paints an insightful and enlightening picture of a Russia many have a poor understanding of, including its history, politics and culture, by focusing in its most currently infamous character: Vladimir “Volodya” Putin, who is at the helm of a ship which if we follow the narrative of this book, it’s set on a doomed course. This books tries to rationalize Putin’s decision making by documenting several key points in Russia’s recent history and Putin’s upbringing and further development, especially during his years as a KGB agent, and while of the points being presented by this book were made 5 to more years back, sadly because of recent events occurring in the Crimean region, we get to see that this book is a “chronicle of a death foretold”. A must read for anyone trying to understand how a conflict like the one taking place in Ukraine is happening in this 21st Century, but also for anyone wondering what the future will bring, for Russia, but also for the world. If this books gets right what we have not seen yet as it does with the issues we know now, we are in for an interesting ride.
Rita would like to recommend these titles:
Would you like to understand better why you do the things you do? Two books by David McRaney will help you understand the cognitive biases that “lead to poor choices, bad judgments and wacky insights that are often totally incorrect.” David McRaney describes himself as a “science journalist fascinated with brains, minds, and culture.” His podcast can be found at Podcast – You Are Not So Smart. Both of the books below are available through Monarch.
You are Not so Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself (2011) discusses the cognitive biases, faulty heuristics and common fallacies of thought people use to delude themselves, just to cope with reality. Each chapter begins with “THE MISCONCEPTION,” such as “You know when you are being influenced and how it is affecting your behavior,” and then, “THE TRUTH,” which is “You are unaware of the constant nudging you receive from ideas formed in your unconscious mind.” Learn about highway hypnosis, why keeping your self-esteem strong and resilient leads to your memory being mostly fiction, why some people set themselves up to fail, and dozens more insights into human behavior. Readers will learn memories are not “played back like recordings,” but rather, “constructed anew each time from whatever information is currently available, which makes them highly permeable to influences from the present.”
That is why two people who experience the same event can have different memories about it. Do you wonder why it is so hard to stick to a diet? Raney blames the extinction burst: “Once you get accustomed to reward, you get really upset when you can’t have it.” How then can people stick to a diet? Realize it will be a difficult process, look for alternative rewards and positive reinforcement. “Habits form because you are not so smart and they will cease under the same conditions.” Another example of how you are not so smart: You may think that “if you are in a bad situation, you will do whatever you can do to escape it, but the reality is, “If you feel like you aren’t in control of your destiny, you will give up and accept whatever situation you are in.” If you do feel boxed in, Raney advises, “Choices, even small ones, can hold back the crushing weight of helplessness, but you can’t stop there. You must fight back your behavior and learn to fail with pride. Failing often is the only way to ever get the things you want out of life. Besides death, your destiny is not inescapable.” Read this book and confirm that humans are often not so smart!
You are Now Less Dumb: How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself (2013) educates readers with, “even more discoveries about self-delusion and irrational thinking and how we succumb to them both every day.” Readers will also learn tricks to avoid being duped by the stories we tell ourselves. Chapters once again begin with, “THE MISCONCEPTION” and, “THE TRUTH.” Subjects such as, Ego Depletion, The Misattribution of Arousal, and The Self -Enhancement Bias are fascinating and help readers have greater awareness into their own behavior. Raney reminds readers, “You are the central character in the story of your life, the unreliable narrator in the epic tale of your past, present, and future.”
You are Now Less Dumb explores many topics, including, why social exclusion impairs self regulation, why you shouldn’t make important decisions on an empty stomach, and why when most people are confronted with evidence that contradicts their ideology, they double down on their original opinions. These and many more contradictions about human behavior make this book a very interesting and enlightening read.
Steven would like to recommend this title:
All The Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr All The Light We Cannot See is the story of a young blind French girl and a young German boy and their lives leading up to, during, and after WWII. This book takes the reader through both of the main characters lives during one of the most devastating times in Europe’s history. How fate can play a remarkable and devastating role in shaping one’s history. I found myself being placed directly in the story with the unending need to find out what happens next.
A Brilliant Night Of Stars & Ice One of the best historical fiction books to ever cover one of the world’s most famous, devastating, and utterly avoidable loss of human lives in history. A Clear Night Of Stars And Ice tells us the most tragic, but heroic tale of the Carpathia and her crew as they race against the clock to reach the world’s safest and unsinkable ship The Titanic. The reader is given accounts of the events leading up to and after the SOS / CQD messages were received by the Captain and Crew of the Carpathia. The reader is also given accounts of a third class passenger of the Titanic and her journey on board both the Titanic and the Carpathia. This book is heart pounding, fast paced, and a near real testament to everything that happened that fateful night that changed not only the lives of all involved, but the history of sea fare forever.
Did you know we have an excellent literacy program for the little readers in the community? Next time you visit us, inquire about our 1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN. This ongoing early literacy program encourages families and caregivers to read 1,000 books aloud with their young children before they enter Kindergarten. Any child from birth until he/ she starts Kindergarten is eligible to register. Reading together helps your child develop important pre-reading skills that provide a solid reading foundation – a key to scholastic and learning success.
www.oscargradylibrary.org