OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY
THE LIBRARIANS’
BEDSIDE TABLE
What your friendly librarians have been listening, reading, watching & MUCH MORE!
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 titles:
CEREMONIALS by Florence & the Machine (Album) 2011 sophomore album from the British band led by singer/songwriter Florence Welch. Ceremonials is a stunningly accomplished record by an artist teetering on the wind-blown top of her game, an extraordinary testament to what Florence refers to as "my incorrigible maximalism". The pounding epiphanic positivism of `Spectrum'; the galloping massed-ranks majesty of `All This And Heaven Too' and `Shake It Out'; the triumphant emotional battle cries of `No Light No Light' and `Heartlines'. Spend a little time with Ceremonials and what strikes you first and foremost is the apparent confidence of its execution. Recorded with her full band over five weeks at Abbey Road's legendary Studio 3, Ceremonials is another product of her long-running collaboration with producer Paul Epworth. Together they've created an expansive art-pop vision that can be both captivatingly tender while still frequently soaring to places where it can overwhelm the senses like an emotive tidal wave. Provided by publisher.
LUX PRIMA by Karen O & Danger Mouse (Album) Colorful, funky, and experimental, Lux Prima is a vision quest of distorted synths and lo-fi atmospheres littered with left turns: the spoken-word mutterings on “Drown,” the combative chants and howls on “Woman,” the disco-fied seduction of “Leopard’s Tongue.” On the gauzy, groovy “Turn the Light,” she mixes Donna Summer escapism with off-kilter soul. “Starry, starry night/This is how I want to live,” she sings in a weightless whisper. “Gonna lay me down in love/I got so much more to give.” “We were making an album we were trying to listen to as opposed to making an album that we wanted to play,” Burton said. “So that's kind of how we made the record. Description from ITunes Store.
BACK TO BLACK by Amy Winehouse (Album) Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, is one of the finest soul albums, British or otherwise, to come out for years. Frank, her first album, was a sparse and stripped-down affair; Back to Black, meanwhile, is neither of these things. This time around, she's taken her inspiration from some of the classic 1960's girl groups like the Supremes and the Shangri-Las, a sound particularly suited to her textured vocal delivery, while adding a contemporary songwriting sensibility. With the help of producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, "Rehab" becomes a gospel-tinged stomp, while the title track (and album highlight) is a heartbreaking musical tribute to Phil Spector, with it's echoey bass drum, rhythmic piano, chimes, saxophone and close harmonies. Best of all, though, is the fact that Back to Black bucks the current trend in R&B by being unabashedly grownup in both style and content. Winehouse's lyrics deal with relationships from a grown-up perspective, and are honest, direct and, often, complicated: on "You Know I'm No Good", she's unapologetic about her unfaithfulness. But she can also be witty, as on "Me & Mrs Jones" when she berates a boyfriend with "You made me miss the Slick Rick gig". Back to Black is a refreshingly mature soul album, the best of its kind for years. -- Description from Amazon.com
GROOVY! NOW PLAYING! More and more albums are being added to our collection of vinyls for you to check out. Artists in a great variety of genres await for you and your needle to enjoy music at 33 1⁄3 rpm!
Debra Jo, Library Assistant and ILL Specialist would like to recommend the following titles:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present day. The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy Afghan youth and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption. It is also about the power of fathers over sons: their love, their sacrifices, and their lies. Provided by publisher.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khlaled Hosseini From the Publisher: After more than two years on the bestseller lists, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel of enormous contemporary relevance. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty yearsfrom the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to postTaliban rebuilding-that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives-the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness-are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love-a stunning accomplishment.
Oscar Grady Public Library
Outdoor Book Discussion (Di sc ussi on w i ll be outside, w ea ther permi tti ng. I n the event of rai n, w e w i ll meet via Z oom.)
All are welcome! Registration is required!
Wednesday, August 25, 2021 @ 11:00 a.m. All Creatures Great and Small By James Herriot Limited copies of this book will be available at the circulation desk.
www.oscargradylibrary.org Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of the world's most beloved veterinarian.
For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye. Meet young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, some are lighthearted and fun, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads, to dealing with uncooperative owners
Other titles you may want to consider if you liked the title “All Creatures Great & Small” BILOXI by Mary Miller "Mary Miller seizes the mantle of southern literature with this wry tale of middle age and the unexpected turns a life can take. Like her predecessors Ann Beattie and Raymond Carver, Mary Miller brings an essential voice to her generation. Building on her critically acclaimed novel, The Last Days of California, and her biting collection, Always Happy Hour, Miller slyly transports readers to her unapologetic corner of the South--this time, Biloxi, Mississippi, home to sixty-three-year-old Louis McDonald Jr. Mining the absurdities of life with her signature "droll minimalist's-eye view of America" (Joyce Carol Oates), Mary Miller's Biloxi affirms her place in contemporary literature"-Provided by publisher.
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery An ardent nature lover and author of Journey of the Pink Dolphins describes her unique friendship with a pig named Christopher Hogwood, a once sickly piglet who helped her develop a new relationship with neighbors in her small-town community that gave her an anchor to family and home. Sy reveals what she and others learned from this generous soul who just so happened to be a pig--lessons about selfacceptance, the meaning of family, the value of community, and the pleasures of the sweet green Earth.--Provided by publisher.
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun The world of modern art is a mystery to many. But for Jim Qwilleran, it turns into a mystery of another sort when his assignment for The Daily Fluxion leads down the path to murder. A stabbing in an art gallery, vandalized paintings, a fatal fall from a scaffolding—this is not at all what Qwilleran expects when he turns his reporter talents to art. But Qwilleran and his newly found partner, Koko the brilliant Siamese cat, are in their element—sniffing out clues and confounding criminals intent on mayhem and murder. This riveting beginning to the Cat Who series is the perfect cozy mystery for cat lovers to start sleuthing! Provided by publisher.
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald As a child Helen Macdonald was determined to become a falconer. She learned the arcane terminology and read all the classic books, including T.H. White's tortured masterpiece, The Goshawk, which describes White's struggle to train a hawk as a spiritual contest. When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She buys Mabel ... on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge. Then she fills the freezer with hawk food and unplugs the phone, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals"- Provided by publisher.
FOX 8 by George Saunders From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo, a darkly comic short story about the unintended consequences unleashed by our quest to tame the natural world—featuring gorgeous black-and-white illustrations by Chelsea Cardinal. Told with his distinctive blend of humor and pathos, Fox 8 showcases the extraordinary imaginative talents of George Saunders, whom The New York Times called “the writer for our time.” Provided by publisher.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Anna Sewell's 'Black Beauty' was an immediate success on its publication in 1877, and has gone on to sell an estimated 50 million copies. Black Beauty is a horse with a fine black coat, a white foot and a silver star on his forehead. Seen through his eyes, the story tells of his idyllic upbringing and the hardship and cruelty he suffers subsequently, before finding security and happiness in a new home. Provided by publisher.
Hope, our Collection Developer would like to recommend these titles:
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell [Kirkus Reviews Issue July 1, 2002 https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-vowell/thepartly-cloudy-patriot/ ]
Pop-culture commentator Vowell offers an engrossing take on suddenly sexy topic of love of country. Patriotism may be newly palatable to the hip masses who make up her audience on NPR’s This American Life, but the author herself is the type of person who happily celebrated her 30th birthday at Grant's Tomb. In this collection of essays, she shares her obsession in a work of humor, nuance, and restrained passion, managing both to discuss America’s flaws and restore readers’ pride in the nation. Kicking it off with a rousing yet remarkably uncloying paean to Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address, Vowell puts the reader on notice that, sure, she's funny, but supporting the quips is a rocksolid knowledge of history. Addressing topics that range from the optimal designs of presidential libraries past and future (she advises Clinton to take a page from Nixon, whose library squarely confronts Watergate) to our tendency to make light of serious history (at Salem, she purchases a shot glass emblazoned with “Witch XING”), the author wanders through historical sites and touchstones of American culture. Vowell is no rah-rah patriot; one of her lengthiest essays is devoted to her realization during George W. Bush's inauguration that she has developed a soft spot for Bob Dole, because “he symbolizes a simpler, more innocent time in America when you could lose the presidential election and, like, not actually become the president.” Not all the pieces are political; Vowell also reports on the challenges of family Thanksgivings, the joys of an arcade game called Pop-a-Shot, the appeal of dining in the underground cafeteria at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and her newfound appreciation of Tom Cruise. Refreshing, inspiring, enchanting.
1 Introductory Flight at West Bend Air Flying School
Dune by Frank Herbert NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Frank Herbert’s classic masterpiece—a triumph of the imagination and one of the bestselling science fiction novels of all time. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for… When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
Hope would like to recommend this title:
The Haunted Lady (A Nurse Hilda Adams Mystery) by Mary Roberts Rinehart This murder mystery kept me guessing until the very end as to who had done it. Eliza Fairbanks, an elderly lady, experiences arsenic in her sugar bowl, but thankfully was treated in time to save her. She becomes suspicious that someone of her family members or servants is trying to kill her. She claims to find bats, rats, and birds in her bedroom. The family claimed she is imagining these things. However, she has informed the police as to what is happening in her home. The inspector sends Hilda Adams, a nurse who also does undercover work, to the home to sit guard outside Eliza Fairbanks’ bedroom. Hilda soon discovers that these creatures are not imagined, but there does not seem to be any possible way for them to get into the bedroom. This becomes a mystery in itself. c4Several people live in the house. Family members include Marian Garrison, Eliza’s daughter, Jan Garrison, a granddaughter, Carlton and Susie Fairbanks, a son and his wife. Servants include Ida, William, Maggie, and Amos. Other important characters to the story are the ex-son-in-law Frank Garrison and Dr. Courtney Brooke. Frank Garrison has married Eileen who was the nanny to Jan when she was young. Marian has never gotten over Frank leaving her for Eileen. Frank occasionally comes by the house to see Jan, his daughter. Most of Frank’s money goes to Marian as alimony. There is very little money left for Frank and Eileen to enjoy. When a second murder occurs, the plot thickens. There didn’t seem to be any reason why this person should have been murdered. Only Hilda Adams seems to think there is a connection between the two murders.
As usual, money may prove to be the root of all evil. If you enjoy mysteries, this book is a quick read and one I am sure you would enjoy.
Miss Julie would like to recommend this title:
SPELLBOUND, Documentary DVD “This is a m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s film”- Miss Julie Spellbound follows the lives of eight young Americans who share one goal: to win the National Spelling Bee. Think this sounds boring? Prepare to be blown away. The Bee is as intense a competition as Olympic match, and for the spellers and their families, the stakes are just as high. The unbearable pressure becomes even more extraordinary as it is felt by ordinary teenagers. Watch as the Bee becomes a dramatic backdrop for the bigger story about kids and families today as we discover that within the roller coaster ride the National Spelling Bee can be found the heart of America. Back Cover Summary
Lynn, our Cataloging and Circulation Services Specialist, would like to recommend this title: c4
Five People You Meet In Heaven. DVD Based on the book by Mitch Albom. Eddie is an eighty-three-year-old war veteran. He spends his days maintaining the rides at Ruby Pier, a seaside amusement park. Now Eddie's own life is about to come to an end. One morning, an accident occurs on one of the rides. In front of a horrified crowd, Eddie attempts to save the five-year-old's life. The last thing he sees is the little girl's frightened face, the last thing he feels is the child's hands in his. Then, a blinding flash of light and silence, and Eddie reawakens in an unfamiliar place called Heaven. But he's not alone. Five people have been waiting to meet him. Publisher description.
Maggie B. , our YA Program Coordinator, would like to recommend the following titles:
SOME KIND of HEAVEN, DVD, 2021 Directed by Lance Oppenheim With SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, first-time feature director Lance Oppenheim cracks the manicured facade of The Villages, America’s largest retirement community – a massive, selfcontained utopia located in Central Florida. Behind the gates of this palm tree-lined fantasyland, SOME KIND OF HEAVEN invests in the dreams and desires of a small group of Villages residents – and one interloper – who are unable to find happiness within the community’s pre-packaged paradise. With strikingly composed cinematography, this candy-colored documentary offers a tender and surreal look at the never-ending quest for finding meaning and love in life’s final act.
WE HAVE ZOO PASSES AVAILABLE FOR CHECK OUT. MORE INFO: http://www.oscargradylibrary.org/?page_id=12421
Martin, our Collection Developing and Adult Services Coordinator would like to recommend these titles:
WHEREABOUTS by Jhumpa Lahiri A marvelous new novel from the Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Lowland and Interpreter of Maladies--her first in nearly a decade. Exuberance and dread, attachment and estrangement: in this novel, Jhumpa Lahiri stretches her themes to the limit. The woman at the center wavers between stasis and movement, between the need to belong and the refusal to form lasting ties. The city she calls home, an engaging backdrop to her days, acts as a confidant: the sidewalks around her house, parks, bridges, piazzas, streets, stores, coffee bars. We follow her to the pool she frequents and to the train station that sometimes leads her to her mother, mired in a desperate solitude after her father's untimely death. In addition to colleagues at work, where she never quite feels at ease, she has girl friends, guy friends, and "him," a shadow who both consoles and unsettles her. But in the arc of a year, as one season gives way to the next, transformation awaits. One day at the sea, both overwhelmed and replenished by the sun's vital heat, her perspective will change. This is Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel she wrote in Italian and translated into English. It brims with the impulse to cross barriers. By grafting herself onto a new literary language, Lahiri has pushed herself to a new level of artistic achievement"-- Provided by publisher.
LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM PBS’ American Experience, DVD, 2015 In the final weeks of the Vietnam War, American servicemen and others begin the difficult mission of evacuating as many friends, family members and South Vietnamese collaborators as possible before Saigon falls to the North Vietnamese.
Rita would like to recommend these titles:
I’ll be Seeing You (2020)
by novelist Elizabeth Berg, chronicles approximately a year in her parents’ lives, after her father started to exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It shows the progressive strain of the disease on various family members. Once it becomes clear to family members that their mother cannot care for both her husband and their home, Berg and her siblings try to get their parents to move to a facility that offers additional care. Berg’s parents are in their late 80s and seem to resent their children’s interference in their lives. Her mother becomes angry at her situation, her husband, and her children and seems to be quite uncooperative.
Berg’s father does not seem to fully grasp his situation yet seems to be more willing to accept change. (He was not so easy to get along with when he was younger!). Berg’s sister lives close to the parents and is weighted with additional responsibilities for their care. While this book is about one specific family, I’ll be Seeing You may leave readers with better insight and understanding into the issues and emotions faced by people they know in similar situations.
I’ll be Seeing You is available through Monarch (regular and large print) and also through Libby.
Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation (2021)
is the final book by American civil rights leader and U.S. Representative, John Lewis (1940-2020). Lewis wrote these reflections as he was fighting a losing battle with pancreatic cancer. This small book highlights Lewis’ commitment to nonviolence, spirituality, hope, and justice for all. Lewis, who was also an ordained Baptist minister, was beaten and arrested several times during his efforts in the American civil rights movement, yet he never resorted to violence or even anger. He leaned on his spirituality, training, and strength of character to forgive and move forward. Lewis states, “…I had long ago decided I wasn’t going to be bound by the mental shackles of hate, anger, and discontent. Forgiveness is medicine for the mind, balm for the body, and healing for the heart.”
Carry On may be a small book, but the wisdom within its pages is vast. In these difficult times, it is a good book to read. Readers will close the book with renewed optimism that people can work together, and difficult challenges can be overcome, although progress may take time. With its insight and positive messages, Carry On might also make a good graduation gift.
Carry On is available through Monarch in book and audio formats.
Tyler, our Library Services Assistant would like to recommend these titles:
Hindenburg: The New Evidence PBS’ NOVA (DVD), 2021 On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg, the world's largest airship, ignited in a giant fireball as it prepared to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey - a disaster immortalized by searing newsreel footage and Herbert Morrison's unforgettable 'Oh, the humanity!' commentary. The chain of events that ignited Hindenburg's hydrogen remains one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history. Publisher description.
Now around town! Books for everyone. The Oscar Grady Library with the support of The Friends of the Oscar Grady Library has purchased three Little Free Libraries, which have been installed at three convenient locations: Quade Park, The Oscar Grady Library, and Village Hall. Check them out! Love them, enjoy them, treasure them.
www.oscargradylibrary.org