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:
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende The House of the Spirits, the unforgettable first novel that established Isabel Allende as one of the world’s most gifted storytellers, brings to life the triumphs and tragedies of three generations of the Trueba family. The patriarch Esteban is a volatile, proud man whose voracious pursuit of political power is tempered only by his love for his delicate wife Clara, a woman with a mystical connection to the spirit world. When their daughter Blanca embarks on a forbidden love affair in defiance of her implacable father, the result is an unexpected gift to Esteban: his adored granddaughter Alba, a beautiful and strong-willed child who will lead her family and her country into a revolutionary future. One of the most important novels of the twentieth century, The House of the Spirits is an enthralling epic that spans decades and lives, weaving the personal and the political into a universal story of love, magic, and fate. Provided by publisher.
Debra Jo, Library Assistant and ILL Specialist would like to recommend the following titles:
“I am recommending the music of Valerie June”
The musical style of singer-songwriter Valerie June bursts the seams of any genre box. Among the descriptions of her music you'll find American Roots, Folk, Soul, Funk, Alternative Rock, Blues, Gospel, and "cosmic country". While all these labels fit to an extent not a single one fully encompasses the breadth of her talent. Four months ago my brother introduced me to Valerie June's music. I've been addicted, one could even say obsessed ever since; not a week goes by (and sometimes not even a day) in which I haven't listened to one of her three albums. Her simultaneously resonant and cherublike voice both invigorates and soothes the soul. The poetry of her lyrics sends the mind on a contemplative journey. Combine those elements with her robust instrumental repertoire and I dare you to keep still. Two songs from her newest album, The Moon and Stars, received recent acclaim. "Call Me a Fool" is a Grammy nominee while "You and I" is the featured song on Apple's latest commercial. Lucky for her fans in SE Wisconsin June is coming to Milwaukee in May '22 and playing the Turner Hall Ballroom!
Hope, our Collection Developer would like to recommend these titles:
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss The spirited and scholarly #1 New York Times bestseller combines boisterous history with grammar how-to’s to show how important punctuation is in our world—period. In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss, gravely concerned about our current grammatical state, boldly defends proper punctuation. She proclaims, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. Using examples from literature, history, neighborhood signage, and her own imagination, Truss shows how meaning is shaped by commas and apostrophes, and the hilarious consequences of punctuation gone awry. Featuring a foreword by Frank McCourt, and interspersed with a lively history of punctuation from the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes a powerful case for the preservation of proper punctuation.
From publisher
"Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life." Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007. American writer and producer)
Hope would like to recommend this title:
Deck the Halls by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting.
The story concerns a nephew, C. B. Dingle, who feels snubbed when his wealthy uncle dies and does not leave all his wealth to him. He feels it is the funeral director’s fault that this occurred. Also involved, Petey the Painter, who was dismissed after painting lime green one wall in the funeral home. He felt he had done the funeral home a favor by mixing his own color. The funeral director did not agree. Luke Reiley, the funeral director, is married to Nora who is a famous mystery writer. They have a daughter named Regan who is a private investigator in Los Angeles. Nora has fallen and broken a leg, so Regan flies home for Christmas to help her mother. There are two main employees at the funeral home. One, Austin Grady, is Luke's right-hand man. The other, Rosita Gonzalez, the driver of the limousines and a single mother of two small boys. C. B. Dingle and Petey kidnap Luke, the funeral director, and Rosita shortly before C.B.'s uncle’s funeral. A neighbor, Alvirah Meehan, happens to be there when Regan gets the first call from the kidnappers. Alvirah considers herself to be an amateur detective. Since she has worked with the police department before, she calls her contact officer. The rest of the story held enough suspense to keep me reading. I found the book to be unputdownable.
Miss Julie would like to recommend this title:
Peanut Butter Puppies by Greg Murray Rescue-dog advocate and professional photographer Greg Murray has followed up on the fan favorite Peanut Butter Dogs with an even more irresistible theme: Peanut Butter Puppies. These adorable portraits of rescued dogs, captured in studio with colorful backgrounds and in delightfully amusing detail, will tug at your heartstrings. Prepare to swoon over Wallaby, the sevenmonth-old heeler; Archie, the eight-monthold Chihuahua; Fiona Wigglesworth, the eight-month-old Boston terrier; Zoey, the nine-month-old mastiff mix, and so many more! Each one-of-a-kind portrait is sure to make your day. Names, ages, and breed/mix accompany each portrait. Description from publisher.
Lynn, our Cataloging and Circulation Services Specialist, would like to recommend this title:
It’s a Wonderful Life, DVD Directed by Frank Capra George Bailey is not having a good day. His life in the sleepy little town of Bedford Falls has been thrown off track, perhaps never to recover. His business has failed, he's wanted by the police, and he's had a fight with his beloved wife Mary. On this disastrous day, his responsibilities and frustrations overwhelm him, leading him to a bridge and serious contemplation of suicide. It's up to an angel named Clarence to convince George that his life has been one of worth and that it's still worth living. After taking a long look at George's life, the angel offers a portrait of what life in Bedford Falls would be like if George had never been born. This classic, sentimental favorite has become a Christmas tradition. Description from publisher.
Some of the titles listed
in these pages are available in electronic format through the Libby app. Check it out!
Martin, our Collection Developing and Adult Services Coordinator would like to recommend these titles:
“Recently I have watched the NETFLIX adaptation of this book and I can say it did grab me from the go. As a fan of the so-called Nordic Noir or Scandinavian Noir genre, this is a must read (or watch) for anyone interested in this particular style. Fascinating story that will keep you hooked to the end.”
The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup "On the first Tuesday in October, Rosa Hartung is returning to her job as minister for social affairs following a year's leave of absence--granted after the dramatic disappearance of her twelve-year-old daughter. Linus Bekker, a mentally ill young man, confessed to her killing, but is unable to remember where he buried the various parts of her dismembered corpse, leaving Rosa with no choice but to try to move on without closure. The same day Rosa returns to parliament, a young single mother is found brutally murdered at her home in the suburbs of Copenhagen--she's been tortured, and one hand has been cut off. Thulin and Hess, the detectives sent to investigate the crime, arrive at the address to find a figure made of chestnuts hanging from a playhouse nearby. When yet another woman is murdered--this time with both hands cut off--and another chestnut figure is found, Thulin and Hess begin to suspect a connection to the Hartung case. To put an end to the killing spree, the pair, with nothing in common aside from equally troubled personal lives, realize they will need to put aside their differences in a race against time--and a brutal psychopath"-Provided by publisher.
"The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library." Albert Einstein (1879-1955. Theoretical physicist)
“Truly enjoying this book. A must read for anyone interested not only on photography and the fascinating story of Vivian Maier about whom other titles are available in the system, but also about the intricacies of family histories and genealogy studies”.
VIVIAN MAIER DEVELOPED: The Untold Story of the Photographer Nanny by Ann Marks The definitive and authorized biography that unlocks the remarkable story of Vivian Maier, the nanny who lived secretly as a world-class photographer, featuring nearly 400 of her images, many never seen before, placed for the first time in the context ofher life. Vivian Maier, the photographer nanny whose work was famously discovered in a Chicago storage locker, captured the imagination of the world with her masterful images and mysterious life. Before posthumously skyrocketing to global fame, she had so deeply buried her past that even the families she lived with knew little about her. No one could relay where she was born or raised, if she had parents or siblings, if she enjoyed personal relationships, why she took photographs and why she didn't sharethem with others. Now, the full story of her extraordinary life is explored by the only person who has been given access to her personal records and archive of 140,000 photographs. Based on meticulous investigative research, Vivian Maier Developed reveals the story of a woman who fled from a family with a hidden history of illegitimacy, bigamy, parental rejection, substance abuse, violence, and mental illness to live life on her own terms. Left with a limited ability to disclose feelings and form relationships, she expressed herself through photography, creating a secret portfolio of pictures teeming with emotion, authenticity, and humanity. With limitless resilience she knocked down every obstacle in her way, determined to improve her lot in life and that of others by tirelessly advocating for the rights of workers, women, African Americans, and Native Americans. No one knew that behind the detached veneer was a profoundly intelligent, empathetic, and inspired woman--a woman so creatively gifted that her body of work would become one of the greatest photographic discoveries of the century"-- Provided by publisher.
Rita would like to recommend these titles:
Blues Master B.B. King’s Christmas CD, A
Christmas Celebration of Hope (2001) is an interesting and very enjoyable alternative to more traditional and pop holiday albums. Listeners will find many things to like about this c o lle c t io n, fo r e xa mp l e , Christmas romantics will swoon to “Christmas in Heaven,” by Billy Ward and those who find the holidays difficult will appreciate the wistful “Blue Decorations,” by Jerry Wayne Gillespie. King (1925 - 2015) produced this album, and it was recorded in New Orleans. The label, MCA, donated all the profits from it to the not-for-profit City of Hope clinical research center in Duarte, CA, “in support of their hard work to bring hope and healing to all people who suffer from life threatening diseases everywhere.” Two songs written by King have been included: the swinging “Christmas Celebration” (1960) and the instrumental, “Christmas Love” (2001). King’s famous guitar, Lucille, is featured throughout the album. Fans of King may also want to read the 2021 biography: King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King by Daniel De Visé, available through Monarch.
"Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library." Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864. English writer and poet)
Listeners looking for a traditional Christmas CD will enjoy Christmas with Kiri Te Kanawa: Carols from Coventry Cathedral (1995, recorded Dec. 1994). David Cullen provided new arrangements for most of the carols. This live concert features gorgeous vocals from the lyric soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the rich bass-baritone of Michael George, and the Choirs of Coventry and Lichfield Cathedrals. Robin Stapleton conducts the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Liner notes provide lyrics in English, German, and French. Te Kanawa’s opening hymn, ”Coventry Carol,” is haunting and mournful, but the album also contains several upbeat songs, such as the traditional “Joy to the World” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” The album closes with Te Kanawa’s beautiful, “Silent Night.” Listeners who like a bit of elegance with their holidays should give this CD a try.
Sharyn would like to recommend this title:
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult A timely, relevant and controversial work exploring the influence of bullying on our teens, compounded by pressure for conformity, which both contributes to and results in an escalation of violent behaviors- often played out with guns. Jodi Picoult's brilliant and heart wrenching portrayal of the young shooter as both the victim and the villain, raise the subject of right and wrong and truth and consequences in how, or if, justice is truly served, when nothing is exactly who or what it seems.
Some of the titles listed
in these pages are available in electronic format through the Libby app. Check it out!
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