A Year in Reading: Rereads and More Favorites

Posted on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 by Kat

Editor’s note: Several of our regular blog writers have looked back at the books they read in 2017, and they’ve each written their own “Year in Review.” This is the last installment. Enjoy! 

2017 Year in Reading
Jeremiah

A Little Life book cover2016 was tough; 2017 could have been better than 2016, but wasn’t. So, this year I re-read books for the comfort of knowing I’d spend hours reading well. I returned to Hanya Yanahihara’s “A Little Life” for the third time, and re-read, slowly, Maggie Nelson’s “The Argonauts,” “The Red Parts,” “Jane: A Murder,” “Bluets” and “The Art of Cruelty.” For their elegant sentences, challenging ideas, and strobe-like illumination, these books are treasures to me. The character of Jude, in “A Little Life,” reminded me that healing isn’t for all—that some people don’t change, that fate, in all its dogmatic baggage, binds, stills, abides, sustains. This novel again taught me also, among many other things, that happiness is plush, a privilege, not for everyone. I coupled this thought with Nelson’s insistence on queer world-making and queer family-makingThe Red Parts book cover in “The Argonauts.” Even if happiness dissembles and eludes, there is pleasure. Continue reading “A Year in Reading: Rereads and More Favorites”

A Year in Review: Travels and “Best of”

Posted on Monday, January 1, 2018 by Kat

Editor’s note: Several of our regular blog writers have looked back at the books they read in 2017, and they’ve each written their own “Year in Review.” This is the first installment. Enjoy! 

My Year in Books: Literary Travels
Anne

One of my favorite things to do in December is reflect on the books I’ve read over the past year. Reading is a bit like traveling, and it’s really nice remembering all the places I’ve been able to visit over the past year. In my “real life” I was blessed with trips to Hawaii and Colorado this year, but thanks to the books I’ve picked up this year, I’ve been able to travel to many other places and times. Here are some of the highlights:

Big Little Lies book coverI journeyed to Australia in the twisty domestic thriller “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty. This book recently inspired an award-winning miniseries on HBO, but the book is even better, offering a darkly humorous and suspenseful tale of how friendships and lies can lead to murder. Continue reading “A Year in Review: Travels and “Best of””

Debut Author Spotlight: December

Posted on Friday, December 29, 2017 by Katherine

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?

Last Suppers book coverThe 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”

One to Grow On: Docs Featuring Single Mothers

Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2017 by Decimal Diver

still from dvd "Kind Hearted Woman"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 dvd coverKind 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”

Best Books Read in 2017, Part 2

Posted on Monday, December 25, 2017 by Kat

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 book cover

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”

Best Books Read in 2017, Part 1

Posted on Friday, December 22, 2017 by Kat

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

Man Called Ove book cover”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”

Breaking the Seal: Accessing Adoptee Birth Certificates

Posted on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 by Tim

Adoption spelled with Scrabble tilesIf 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, G’s Adoption Registry is having a special event to kick off the new law. Continue reading “Breaking the Seal: Accessing Adoptee Birth Certificates”

The Gentleman Recommends: Catherine Lacey

Posted on Monday, December 18, 2017 by Chris

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”

De-Stress With Yoga

Posted on Friday, December 15, 2017 by Larkspur

Evergreen bough

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”

New DVD List: Step, Kedi, Whose Streets? and More

Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 by Decimal Diver

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

Step dvd coverStep
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”