Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Posted on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 by Ida

Baseball is happening folks! We can all exhale now. Let’s celebrate by checking out what our library has to offer on the topic of this great national pastime.

2015 World Series DVDMissouri is blessed with two teams who have won the World Series in dramatic, wilder-than-fiction fashion. Relive those days of triumph with one or more of these DVDs:
2015 World Series
2011 World Series Champions: STL
St. Louis Cardinals Vintage World Series Film, 1982, 1985, 1987Continue reading “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”

Nonfiction Roundup: April 2022

Posted on Monday, April 4, 2022 by Liz

Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in April. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: April 2022”

The Gentleman Recommends: Colson Whitehead

Posted on Friday, April 1, 2022 by Chris

Perhaps ideally I’d only wield my immeasurable influence in service of bringing attention to lesser known writers and compelling people to mail me treats, but often a famous writer’s work will insist that I type about it instead. In this case, while Oprah and the Pulitzer committee and the world of literary critics may have done the heavy lifting, I’m here to gently tug and encourage those that have yet to read Colson Whitehead to remedy this.  Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Colson Whitehead”

Reader Review: Frontier Follies

Posted on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 by patron reviewer

Frontier Follies” is written by the author, blogger, and chef Ree Drummond. She talks about life, marriage, motherhood and her adventures in the book. I love how down-to-earth and relatable it is. There were moments that had me laughing and a couple times tearing up. She seems so genuine and I loved hearing stories about her husband, their four kids and their adventures on the ranch. She shared some yummy recipes that were fun to try as well!

Three words that describe this book: Geniune, light-hearted, comical

You might want to pick this book up if: You are a wife or mother looking for a quick, easy read that is relatable. You wont want to put it down!

-Anonymous

 

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

Read the Recipe! Vol. 7: “That Sounds So Good”

Posted on Monday, March 28, 2022 by Jason Delpire

That sounds so good book coverThe subject of this blog was initially inspired by reading a coworker’s work. I wanted to find books that combined two of my loves: music and cooking. So, I searched the catalog for “cookbook” and “music.” The first result was “That Sounds So Good” by Carla Lalli Music. What did I expect, right? Though it was clearly not what I was looking for, the title did interest me. Sigh, the focus of the blog changed, again. There are musicians with their own cookbooks, here is a short list with some of those titles, which includes choices ranging from Sammy Hagar to Snoop Dogg. Continue reading “Read the Recipe! Vol. 7: “That Sounds So Good””

House Love

Posted on Friday, March 25, 2022 by Reading Addict

White house with pink and purple flowers in the foreground

“Houses are really quite odd things. They have almost no universally defining qualities: they can be of practically any shape, incorporate virtually any material, be of almost any size. Yet wherever we go in the world we recognize domesticity the moment we see it.”
Bill Bryson, “At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Continue reading “House Love”

Reader Review: The Vapors

Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 by patron reviewer

The Vapors book cove Whatever its reputation may be now, for much of the last century Hot Springs, Arkansas was a wide-open town and the undisputed gambling mecca of America, surpassing even Las Vegas. “The Vapors,” which takes its title from a Hot Springs casino that featured nationally known celebrities, fine dining and, of course, gambling, intertwines the author’s own family history with a chronicle of the gambling and vice-saturated culture of Hot Springs from the 1930s through the 1960s. Interestingly, gambling was never legal in Hot Springs, but as the book details, nonetheless operated completely in the open and seemingly dominated every aspect of life in Hot Springs — political, business and cultural — through the 1960s. Hot Springs was a company town, and, like Las Vegas today, gambling was the company. And, because gambling was illegal (though open and obvious), this small town in Arkansas also attracted some of the most notorious organized crime figures in the country. It’s a fascinating story told well.

Three words that describe this book: Absorbing, journalistic, historical

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy reading about 20th Century American culture or organized crime.

-Jeff

 

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.

As Blue As Indigo

Posted on Monday, March 21, 2022 by Sew Happy

Circle of hands dyed indigo blue, taken by Bex Oliger of Columbia, MO.
Photo by Bex Oliger. Used with permission.

Once upon a time I had an indigo dye pot: a ten gallon bucket in the shed under the walnut trees in my back yard. It was the star of any crafting party I held. Sometimes we were overdyeing a yellow and then a quick dip would pop a green color. I remember one afternoon where one table was dyeing with red madder, another was carding wool for spinning and a circle under the beechnut tree had gathered to spin. Then there was my indigo pot with its pungent smell and colorful drying racks. Continue reading “As Blue As Indigo”

New DVD List: Summer Of Soul, King Richard, & More

Posted on Friday, March 18, 2022 by Decimal Diver

Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.


Website / Reviews 
Playing at last year’s True False Film Fest, this music documentary is part music film, part historical record created around an epic 1969 event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, it features unpublished footage of performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more. Continue reading “New DVD List: Summer Of Soul, King Richard, & More”

Debut Author Spotlight: March 2022

Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 by Katherine

Here are a few of the most notable adult fiction debut novels coming out in March. These have all received positive reviews in library journals. For a longer list, please visit our catalog.

The Astronaut and the Star” by Jen Comfort

Astronaut Regina “Reggie” Hayes wants to be the first woman on the moon — it’s all she’s ever dreamed of. But after a PR disaster, Reggie is off the list for a lunar mission. To rehabilitate her reputation with NASA, she agrees to a different kind of assignment: astronaut “training” with a Hollywood action hero.

Jon Leo is a charmer. With credits that include an underperforming sitcom and a campy action flick called Space Dude, his upcoming role in a prestigious movie could prove he’s a star. But Jon isn’t just big muscles and an otherworldly smile — he’s also a total space nerd. He’s pumped about his own personal space camp … until he meets ice-cold Reggie.

Although Reggie and Jon are polar opposites, their mutual attraction is undeniable, and it only takes a few weeks in close quarters for them to give in to its magnetic force. Jon is set on convincing Reggie this is a match made in the heavens, but her future is in space, and his is among stars of the Hollywood kind. The odds of successfully launching a real relationship outside the confines of the training base are anything but optimal.

Reggie, content with keeping things casual, is forced by a sudden turn of events to confront the possibility of losing Jon forever. Now, she’ll do whatever it takes to win both the man and the moon.

Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: March 2022”