OSCAR GRADY PUBLIC LIBRARY
THE LIBRARIANS’
BEDSIDE TABLE
COMING SOON!
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:
SOMM, DVD, 2013 SOMM Four men will do anything to pass the most difficult test you ve NEVER heard of... SOMM takes the viewer on a humorous, emotional and illuminating look into a mysterious world - the Court of Master Sommeliers and the massively intimidating Master Sommelier Exam. The Court of Master Sommeliers is one of the world s most prestigious, secretive, and exclusive organizations. Since its inception almost 40 years ago, less than 200 candidates have reached the exalted Master level. The exam covers literally every nuance of the world of wine, spirits and cigars. Those who have passed have put at risk their personal lives, their well- being, and often their sanity to pull it off. Shrouded in secrecy, access to the Court of Master Sommeliers has always been strictly regulated and cameras have never been allowed anywhere near the exam, until now. How much do you think you know about wine? SOMM will make you think again. SOMM takes you on the ultimate insider s tour into a world of obsession, hope, and friendship in red, blanc and sometimes rose . Description from publisher.
Debra Jo, would like to recommend the following title:
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead Amos McGee was a zookeeper who always made time for his animal friends. One day when his sniffles and sneezes prevented him from going to the zoo, he received some unexpected guests --his friends from the zoo! This is a gently humorous tale of friendship and dedication. Description from publisher.
And its follow up: Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper, is very considerate and always on time. But after a late night planning a surprise for all his friends, Amos is tired. So tired, in fact, that he falls asleep during breakfast and misses his bus to the zoo! Now he knows he won't have time for the surprise he planned for his friends. Unless... perhaps his friends can step in and help him out. Description from publisher.
Hope would like to recommend this title:
Our Kind of People by Carol Wallace “Our Kind of People” is a delightful book set in the late 1800’s in New York City. Social status and family background are of great importance. Helen and Joshua Wilcox have two daughters who are about to be introduced to society. Helen, a woman from an upstanding family, married Joshua who was a wagon driver for Wilcox stables. Now, Helen worries if this will have a negative effect on her daughters’ chances. Joshua Wilcox continued in the transportation business after their marriage; but, thanks to Helen’s mother, more from a management position. He envisioned an elevated system to provide New Yorkers with a faster means of travel through the city. He and two partners invested heavily in this endeavor usually with success. However, when an additional $50,000 was needed, Joshua borrowed from a gentleman using their house as collateral. Even though the Elevated was progressing, Joshua could not pay the debt in time and lost the house. Will their marriage survive? What will happen to the girls? I encourage you to read this book. We all know the Elevated succeeded in New York. The author weaves a great story around the people of society and the influence of money. She creates realistic characters in very real situations to which you can relate. The book is an easy and pleasant read.
Hope, would like to recommend this title:
Worlds of Ink and Shadow: A Novel of the Brontës by Lena Coakley – Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been inseparable. After all, nothing can bond four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage out on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go. Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink & Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated literary families. (description from Goodreads)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (movie 2009) DVD This is the story of Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and his wild ways of hen heckling, turkey taking, and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures. He has to put his wild days behind him and do what fathers do best: be responsible. He is too rebellious. He is too wild. He is going to try "just one more raid" on the three nastiest, meanest farmers that are Walter Boggis (Robin Hurlstone), Nathan Bunce (Hugo Guinness), and Franklin Bean (Sir Michael Gambon). It is a tale of crossing the line of family responsibilities and midnight adventure and the friendships and awakenings of this country life that is inhabited by Fantastic Mr. Fox and his friends.
Miss Julie would like to recommend this title:
I HAVE OFFICIALLY FOUND MY "EMERGENCY, I NEED SALSA NOW" RECIPIE! Super simple and quick recipes with items I usually keep on hand. Would recommend.
Fast & easy five-ingredient recipes : a cookbook for busy people by Philia Kelnhofer. "Cooking can sometimes involve mile-long ingredient lists and require more time than one cares to spend in the kitchen after a busy day. With Fast and Easy Five Ingredient Recipes you'll find over 100 recipes that only require five ingredients (or less) and use simple ingredients in unique ways. Description from publisher.
Lynn would like to recommend this title:
Life is a gift : a book for thankful hearts. Reflections about gratitude to God from a wide array of authors are included: Henry Van Dyke, Abraham Lincoln, and Louisa May Alcott, as well as many songs, psalms, and prayers. Description from publisher.
Miss Julie would like to recommend these titles:
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
Oscar Grady Public Library
It Happened in Wisconsin: Death in a Prairie House
Monday, May 23rd, 6PM Join us for a discussion around the book:
Death In a Prairie House Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan 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
www.oscargradylibrary.org
The most pivotal and yet least understood event of Frank Lloyd Wright’s celebrated life involves the brutal murders in 1914 of seven adults and children dear to the architect and the destruction by fire of Taliesin, his landmark residence, near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Unaccountably, the details of that shocking crime have been largely ignored by Wright’s legion of biographers—a historical and cultural gap that is finally addressed in William Drennan’s exhaustively researched Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders. Oscar Grady Public Library 151 S. Main Street Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 284-6022
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 KINDERGARTE. 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.
Martin would like to recommend this title:
ENCOUNTERS At the End of the World
A film by Werner Herzog, DVD , 2008 Mesmerizing!, that it’s the best word I could use to describe this wonderful documentary film by Bavarian director, Werner Herzog, in which he sets out to see for himself one of the most fascinating corners of the world, this being the Antarctic region, and in the process share with us many stories collected there through interviews with a series of fascinating characters, while filling us with a sense of wander and wonder that leaves you richer at the end of watching it. Many of us may never get a chance to visit Antarctica, but this documentary will take you there in a way that will leave you with an appreciation not only for the work being done by the people who does get to explore, work and keep learning (and teaching us) about one of the most still unexplored places on earth but also for the wonders still out there on our neglected planet. A must for anyone interested on “seeing beyond the beyond”.
Rita would like to recommend these titles:
Judith Mackrell’s The Correspondents: Six Women Writers on the Front Lines of World War II (2021) is highly recommended for anyone interested in the histories of the Spanish Civil War and World War II (overlook the gaffe on p. 213, giving the attack on Pearl Harbor as Dec. 7, 1942!). Virginia Cowles, Martha Gellhorn, Clare Hollingworth, Helen Kirkpatrick, Lee Miller, and Sigrid Schulz courageously worked around the restrictions imposed upon them (because of their gender) to report from the front lines of the war. Post-war, many of these women’s careers were diminished or sidelined. Many, like the veterans and male correspondents too, were from traumatized for the rest of their lives by the horrors they had witnessed. Martha Gellhorn wrote, “it was though I fell off a cliff at Dachau, and suffered a form of concussion ever since.” Lee Miller admitted, “I got in over my head. I could never get the stench of Dachau out of my nostrils.” The Correspondents will make an indelible impression on readers’ minds. While Mackrell primarily focuses on the six featured correspondents, she also references the contributions of other significant female war correspondents, including: Margaret Bourke-White, Iris Carpenter, Dickey Chapelle, Marguerite Higgins, Patricia Lockridge, and Dorothy Thompson. For further reading, consider these books in the correspondents’ own words, available through Monarch: Looking for Trouble (2010) by Virginia Cowles, Travels with Myself and Another (2001, originally published 1978) by Martha Gellhorn, Lee Miller’s War (1992) by Lee Miller. Also available on Monarch are: The Photographs of Margaret Bourke-White (1972) by Margaret Bourke-White and War in Korea: The Report of a Woman Combat Correspondent (1951) by Marguerite Higgins. Additional resources available through Monarch are: Reporting Under Fire: 16 Daring War Correspondents and Photojournalists (2014) by Kerrie Logan Hollihan; Nothing Ever Happens to the Brave: The Story of Martha Gellhorn (1990) by Carl Rollyson; Women Heroes of World War II: 32 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue (2019) by Kathryn J. Atwood
(also available on Libby); and Dickey Chapelle Under Fire: Photographs by the First American Female War Correspondent Killed in Action (2015) by John Garafolo. For younger readers who are interested in this subject, see: 25 Women who Protected their Country (2021) by Emma Carlson Berne. Clare Hollingworth and Martha Gellhorn are among the women featured in it. Judith Mackrell is an acclaimed British dance critic and author. She was short listed for the 2008 Costa Biography Award for Bloomsbury Ballerina: Lydia Lopokova, Imperial Dancer and Mrs.
John Maynard Keyes.
The Correspondents is available through Monarch.
Sharyn would like to recommend this title:
The Grieving Brain by Mary-Frances O'Connor, PhD "For as long as humans have existed, we've struggled when a loved one dies. Poets and playwrights have written about the dark cloak of grief and how devastating heartache feels. But until now, we have had little scientific perspective on this universal experience." Having recently lost my father, I was gifted this insightful read by a friend who recognized my struggle to process the grief I was experiencing and the impact it was having on my mental and emotional health. Written by Dr. Mary Frances O'Connor, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, The Grieving Brain explores the effects of traumatic loss on the brain as well as on the body. Based on the trailblazing perspective of grieving as not purely an emotional response, but rather as part of the brain's function of learning and processing, with each experience of it, death changes us. We cannot function in the world in the same way as we had before. Through the re-evaluation process of learning and growth that subsequently occurs, we are challenging our brains to create the vision of that new life as well as the groundwork of how we can successfully move forward in it. Although based primarily with a focus on long-term scientific studies which occurred within her 'Grief, Loss and Social Stress' lab, O'Connor's book is a good mix of those explorations under a neuroscientific lens, partnered with anecdotal research shared by the author and others who have experienced complicated grief, while maintaining an optimistic outlook that in learning there is healing. Definitely a worthy read for anybody struggling with the grieving process.
Steven would like to recommend this title:
The Breakfast Club, DVD, 1985 “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds is a classic song. Whenever I hear it, I am immediately transported back to High School and good friends. I am also reminded of one of the best movies ever to be made about High School, The Breakfast Club. It is a movie that reminds us that no matter who we are or what label we are given, we should never judge others by what we see on the outside. Everyone has their own demons that they are currently battling. When take the time to get to know others and let them in, we not only start to realize that we are not alone, but we also start to build friendships and memories that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.
Going In Style, DVD & Blu-Ray, 2017 Going In Style is a comedy movie whose cast is packed with some of the best comedic actors of all time. Staring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin with Christopher Llyod as a supporting cast member. This film is one of my favorite comedies of all time. In our society today, we don’t take notice of our elders and this film reminds us that is “A societies duty to take care of its elders.”
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