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!
————————o————————
Jen Gerber, our Library Director, would like to recommend the following titles:
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before. Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both. Description from publisher.
Debra Jo, Library Assistant and ILL Specialist would like to recommend the following title:
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger “I'm not usually one for Fantasy. The connection to the author's Lipan Apache heritage is what sold me. Her second novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, comes out on 11/23/21. I can't wait to read it. “ Publisher's summary: Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
Hope, our Collection Developer would like to recommend this title:
Contact by Carl Sagan Who could be better qualified than the author of the highly successful Cosmos to turn the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence, and humankind's first contact with it, into imaginative reality? This is precisely what Sagan does in this eagerly awaited and, as it turns out, engrossing first novel. The basic plot is very simple. A worldwide system of radio telescopes, in the charge of brilliant astrophysicist Ellie Arroway, picks up a ""Message'' from outer space. Ellie is instrumental in decoding the message and building the ``Machine'' for which it gives instructions (despite stiff opposition from religious fundamentalists and those scientists and politicians who fear it may be a Trojan Horse). Then she and fellow members of a small multinational team board the machine, take a startling trip into outer space and on their return must convince the scientific community that they are not the perpetrators of a hoax. Sagan's characters, mostly scientists, are credible without being memorable, and he supplies a love interest that is less than compelling. However, his informed and dramatically enacted speculations into the mysteries of the universe, taken to the point where science and religion touch, make his story an exciting intellectual adventure and science fiction of a high order. Review from Publisher’s Weekly, October 1985
Hope would like to recommend this title:
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry Calliope June is in seventh grade. Calliope has moved several times as each time her mother breaks up with her boyfriend, they move. Calliope has Tourette’s Syndrome so sometimes she makes bases or noises that she doesn’t intend to make. Each time she starts her new school, she tries to hide her symptoms, but sooner or later the other kids tend to find out. Calli loves astronomy and makes friends with kids in an astronomy club. She still tries to hide her symptoms thinking as soon as the kids find out they will laugh at her. A school counselor convinces her that she should just open up about TS. When Callie makes a funny sound, she’s explains to the group that she has TS and may without any warning croak like a frog or make a funny face. Callie laughs and the group laughs with her. The book does a good job explaining how people with certain disabilities find it difficult to fit into a group. When people understand the disability, it becomes easier to accept.
Miss Julie would like to recommend this title:
Making a Meal for Bigfoot! by Ruth Owen When I requested this title through the Monarch Catalog, I wasn't sure what to expect. Little did I know that a dish perfect for Bigfoot would also be a great appetizer to share at Thanksgiving! I made the "Crunchy Fall Leaves" crackers and though I didn't have a leaf cookie cutter, the acorn and turkey shapes worked just as well. I was planning on serving these colorful crackers with red pepper hummus but the lemon and garlic Greek yogurt dip included with this recipe sounds really good as well... *I'll probably end up making both*. "What do you make when bigfoot shows up at your door with an empty stomach? A meal that's tasty for your bigfoot guest (and pretty yummy for you, too)! Mix a mint and lemonade slushy and bake some crunchy fall leaf crackers and dip. Then, serve up a big bigfoot foot pizza for your new friend. Top it all off with a delicious woodland berry cheesecake that will make your guest think of home. Don't forget to explore more about bigfoot facts and fiction so you have plenty to talk about during your mythical meal" – Description from publisher.
Lynn, our Cataloging and Circulation Services Specialist, would like to recommend this title:
Chicken soup for the grandparent's soul. by Jack Canfield In this latest addition to the Chicken Soup family, children and grandchildren will relive memories of their parents and grandparents as they read stories of love, humor and wisdom. Each touching tale will inspire them to make the most of the time they still have together and encourage them to seek deeper experiences. Grandparents will learn the value of their contributions to and realize what an honored position they hold within their circle of loved ones. Every listener will gain a new appreciation of the benefits of a close and connected family. 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:
TRUST by Domenico Starnone After yet another terrible argument, Teresa gets an idea: Pietro and her should tell each other something they've never told another person, something they're too ashamed to tell anyone. They will hear the other's confessions without judgment and with love in their hearts. A few days after sharing their shameful secrets, they break up. Not long after, Pietro meets Nadia, falls in love, and proposes. But the shadow of the secret he confessed to Teresa haunts him, and Teresa herself periodically reappears, standing at the crossroads, it seems, of every major moment in his life. Or is it he who seeks her out? Description from publisher.
“I recently watched excerpts from this documentary at the annual DOG FILM FESTIVAL in Milwaukee, which raises awareness about dogs adoption, fostering and different aspects on the life of our canine family members. While segments on this documentary can be really rough to watch, it’s a pretty well done documentary that provides us with a great insight on people’s relationship with dogs throughout the world.
We Don’t Deserve Dogs DVD, 2021 Dogs influence our daily lives in simple and extraordinary ways. People need dogs, and perhaps they need us, but what do humans do to deserve the unconditional love they provide? Description from publisher.
Rita would like to recommend these titles:
Apples Never Fall (2021) by Liane Moriarty
is another delightful suspense novel from this reliably entertaining Australian author. When a woman goes missing, her taciturn husband is suspected by law enforcement of contributing to her demise. Some of her grown children also suspect their father of the dirty deed. After all, there has been some observable tension between the couple lately. The mysterious text the woman sent her children before her disappearance adds further confusion to the situation. Also, what happened to the enigmatic stranger who was living with the couple? Family dynamics play a large role in this satisfying book from Australian novelist Liane Moriarty.
Half the Sugar All the Love: A Family Cookbook (2019) by Jennifer Tyler Lee and Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH is a cookbook for those who are looking to reduce their sugar intake without hard-to-find sugar substitutes. As the title states, the recipes included do contain added sugar, but much less than in standard recipes. For example, the Double Chocolate Brownies contain a mere 1/4 cup of maple sugar, and the rest of the sweetness comes from a sweet potato. I highly recommend these brownies for those who like moist, dark chocolate brownies, but do not swap out the almond butter in the recipe for peanut butter—it just doesn’t work well. If you desire a combination of peanut butter and chocolate, make the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Snack Cake instead, with a total of five tablespoons of white sugar and additional sweetness from Medjool dates. (Full disclosure: I did add an additional Tablespoon of powdered sugar to the frosting.) Store both the brownies and cake in the refrigerator, for the best texture. The authors offer savory recipes, as well, such as Chinese Chicken Lettuce Cups, Pineapple Teriyaki Short Ribs, and BBQ Chicken Pizza. Condiment recipes, such as “New”-tella Nut-free Newtella, BBQ Sauce and Spice Mix, and Salted Maple-Date Caramel Sauce are also included.
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