Our list of debut authors is very short this month as December is a quiet time of year for publishing. But quality over quantity, right?
“The Last Suppers” by Mandy Mikulencak
As the daughter of a murdered warden Ginny Polk is familiar with the harsh realities of prison life in the 1950s. Still, as an adult she chooses to return to the Greenmount State Penitentiary in Louisiana, where her father worked, as the prison cook. There she struggles to make peace with her past while serving prisoners on death row their last meals—along with a little compassion and human kindness.
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: December”
What does it mean to be a single mother in today’s world? What joys and challenges do single mothers face? Check out these documentaries featuring single mothers.
“Kind Hearted Woman” (2013)
This documentary acts as a portrait of a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation. The film follows her over three years as she struggles to raise her two children, further her education and heal herself from the wounds of sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Continue reading “One to Grow On: Docs Featuring Single Mothers”
The year is almost over, and the staff here at the library want to share their favorite book of 2017 with you! I hope you enjoyed the first installment. Here are the rest of the best books read in 2017 by your DBRL staff:
“Dark Matter” by Blake Crouch
“Fast-paced and suspenseful, this novel is page-turner from the get-go. While categorized in the sci-fi genre, it invokes universal questions regarding the choices you make, the paths-not-traveled and what you would endure for those you love.”
~Dana S.
“Small Great Things” by Jodi Picoult
“I laughed, cried, and was forced to bear with some very ugly personal truths. ‘Small Great Things’ reads as a fantastic work of fiction, but also as a primer for fundamental conversations about race, privilege, inequality and basic human experiences. This book will grab you by the shoulders and shake you to the core.”
~Mitch C. Continue reading “Best Books Read in 2017, Part 2”
The year is almost over, and the staff here at the library want to share their favorite book of 2017 with you! These books might not have been published this year, but they all were enjoyed during it. Without further ado, here’s the first batch of the best books read in 2017 by your DBRL staff:
“A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman
”Ove is a grumpy neighbor who still has a warm heart. ‘A Man called Ove’ will make you laugh and cry. It reminds us how caught up we can get in our daily routines, and how unwilling we are to change; but sometimes, someone comes along and change is okay.”
~Sheryl Bucklew
“At first I thought it was going to be depressing, but it quickly took a comedic and touching turn as Ove learns to keep on living without his wife.”
~Mitzi Continue reading “Best Books Read in 2017, Part 1”
As someone with a penchant for taking titles too literally, my desire to read a book called “The Answers” was both tremendous and misguided. It soon became clear that this book would not be answering my most pressing queries. Rather, the book is more interested in posing, not answering, big old questions: What is love? Why do people love? How does one survive underemployment and crippling debt? Is it wrong to manipulate emotions with high-tech electronics? Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Catherine Lacey”
Here we are in mid-December with the winter holiday season fast approaching. But while most plants and animals bed down for a long winter’s nap, we humans are ramping up. In fact many of us continue on at an unrelenting pace rather than slowing down, turning inward and using this season to rest and restore ourselves (I’m guilty, too!). Surely this behavior contributes yet another layer of strife to a season that is typically full of stressors. So, whether we enjoy and welcome this time of year or not, most of us will eventually deal with some tensions, anxiety and/or depression.
There are many constructive ways to manage and reduce stress. One of my favorites is yoga. Simply defined, yoga is an ancient Hindu spiritual practice that combines physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation as a means to spiritual attainment and physical and emotional good health. It may not be the right option for everyone, but many people, me included, appreciate the positive benefits of yoga, particularly for managing life’s difficulties and promoting a sense of ease and well-being. Continue reading “De-Stress With Yoga”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Step”
Website / Reviews
Shown at the True/False Film Fest in 2017, this film is the true-life story of a girls’ high school step team against the background of the heart of Baltimore. These young women learn to laugh, love and thrive even when the world seems to work against them. Empowered by their teachers, teammates, counselors, coaches and families, they chase their dreams to win a step championship and to be accepted into college. Continue reading “New DVD List: Step, Kedi, Whose Streets? and More”
Every once in a while I learn about a new technological breakthrough, and I’m struck with a sense that I’m living in a science fiction novel. The stuff of dreams when I was a kid — virtual reality, robots, artificial intelligence — is now becoming the domain of nonfiction and the nightly news. But as wondrous as these advancements are, they can also bring with them a feeling of anxiety. These things will certainly alter our society and daily lives, but will it always be for the better? There are a growing number of books that look at where our technology is heading and provide thought-provoking answers to this question. Here are a few of them.
If you want to start with a good primer on the future of technology, there is “Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That’ll Improve and/or Ruin Everything” by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. As its name suggests, this book takes a somewhat humorous approach to examining the potential benefits, challenges and pitfalls of technologies like cheap access to space, fusion power and programmable matter. Continue reading “Literary Links: Our Technological Future”
“And so we rode out that Christmas morning from the ruins in which the Tipmen had discovered ‘The History of Mankind in Space,’ which still resided in my back-satchel, vagrant memory of a half-forgotten past.”
-Robert Charles Wilson, “Julian: A Christmas Story”
Merry Christmas from the theocratic neo-Victorian 22nd century created by Robert Charles Wilson! Climate change and the end of peak oil have caused a technological reversion. The social order is structured by a hierarchy with feudal indenture, property-based representation in the senate and a hereditary line of succession to the presidency. The titular character, Julian Comstock, is the nephew of the sitting president sent to a
remote district by his mother for his safety. That safety is threatened two days before Christmas when reservists arrive to impose a draft for the war with the Dutch in Labrador. Maps and geopolitical relationships have changed significantly — our flag has 60 stars and Julian’s father was a hero of a war against Brazil. Julian’s father was also hanged for a dubious charge of treason, and the president now sees Julian as a threat. Conscription into the war would be a convenient way for the president to eliminate his teenage nephew. Continue reading “Know Your Dystopias: Christmas Edition?”
If you are an adoptee born in Missouri, access to a copy of your original birth certificate will now be available to you! As of January 2, 2018, a new law in Missouri will allow those 18 and older access to a copy of their original birth certificate without the need for a court order. To help celebrate this milestone event,