I can admit it: I’m slow to adopt new trends, but I have recently (finally?) become enthralled with podcasts. I have always just had so many books I wanted to read that it was really hard for podcasts to break through to my awareness. Although, in my defense, I was actually listening to podcasts before they were called podcasts on NPR with shows like “This American Life,” “Radiolab” and “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.” A lot of podcasts remind me of my favorite books of conversational essays. The podcasts I have recently found have been highly entertaining and engaging — like sitting with a friend and enjoying a cup of coffee while catching up on interesting tidbits. Some of the podcasts follow true crime cases. Some take a deeper look at cultural moments or things we may not remember fully (or correctly) from history. And some just talk of random things. Continue reading “Books That Read Like a Podcast”
Recently, I watched the movie “The Menu.” I loved it: I saw bits of myself in a few of the characters on either side of the pass. Here is a short synopsis of the film: an ultra-exclusive restaurant prepares a special menu for a select clientele.
Essentially, “The Menu” is a horror/comedy/satire piece on the fine dining experience. Between this movie, other recent stories spilling secrets on the culture of restaurant work, and the recent announcement of Noma’s impending closure (Noma is a many-times named Best Restaurant in the World and is planning to close in 2024), some have started calling for the end of fine dining, whatever that means. The issue for many is the impression that all fine dining restaurants are hyper-competitive, intense, toxic workplaces that can destroy people. Though those accusations are damning, the idea of “free labor” was the final straw. In some high-profile places, like Noma, talented and ambitious cooks are hired, but not paid. According to “The Sorcerer’s Apprentices” by Lisa Abend (a book about the now-shuttered restaurant named el Bulli), the cooks are paired with a host family and generally they eat at the restaurant (the “family meal”). My view has been these types of positions are for a special few, and the sacrifice is repaid through contacts made and through future earnings. Generally, these types of situations are only found at high-end places, but the pressures and expectations can find their way to “regular” establishments. You might have dined in a place that suffers from the same problems, even here in Mid-Missouri. Continue reading “Read the Recipe: Noma 2.0”
Evelyn Kominsky Kumamoto is the adult daughter of a distant Japanese father and a dead Jewish mother. When we meet her, she is preparing to start a new job at a large internet company, having set aside her philosophy dissertation in search of a change.
Evelyn is somewhat anchorless — in identity, in work and in her relationships. But it is clear her ambivalence does not come from a lack of depth. Evelyn is a philosopher, who traces the movements of her own mind with the curiosity of a scientist. If she seems stuck between two points, it’s only because she is taking her time mapping the troubled landscape of the liminal space. Continue reading “Staff Review: Happy for You by Claire Stanford”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“The Man Who Fell to Earth”
Season 1
Website / Reviews
This is a science fiction TV series featuring an alien who crashes on earth with a mission to find the one scientist who can help save his species. Together they discover that in order to save his world, they must first save ours. An inspired continuation of the novel by Walter Tevis and the iconic 1976 film starring David Bowie. Continue reading “New DVD List: The Man Who Fell to Earth & More”
Here are a few of the most notable debut fiction titles being published this month. These have all received positive review from library journals. For a longer list of titles, please visit our catalog.
“The Spite House” by Johnny Compton
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he’s desperate for money — it’s not easy to find steady, safe work when you can’t provide references, you can’t stay in one place for long, and you’re paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.
The job calls to Eric, not just because there’s a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it’ll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: February 2023”
Poetry is a form of expression that allows us to explore our own feelings and thoughts while being transported by the poet’s vision. It can be put to music, it can be written on walls. It inspires all ages and has endured through the ages.
We support poets and poetry. On Wednesday, February 15, Columbia Public Library will host a Poetry Out Loud Competition on behalf of local organizers, the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the Missouri Arts Council. Watch as local high school students perform poems, competing to represent Missouri at the national Poetry Out Loud competition. You are welcome to attend and enjoy these performances. Click here to learn more about Poetry Out Loud. Continue reading “Poetry Out Loud at DBRL”
On December 13, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a major breakthrough in cold fusion technology. I don’t pretend to understand all the details, but I know there’s a lot of excitement over the possibility for a clean energy future. This seems like an opportune time to focus on books about inventors and inventions.
Humans are by far the most technologically advanced species on Earth, but we often look to nature for inspiration. In “Nature’s Wild Ideas,” Kristy Hamilton explains how the anatomy of lobster eyes provided a blueprint for the design of x-ray telescopes. Similarly, the movement patterns of ants and bees led to innovations in traffic management. And studies of tardigrades — those miniscule masters of survival — have been key in developing better methods of refrigeration. Continue reading “Literary Links: Inventors and Inventions”
Writers often reach into the past to find inspiration and content for their stories. Often an entire event or period is recreated in their books or screenplays or, perhaps, the facts of history simply provide a background for the plots that they weave. The American Civil War captured people’s imaginations even as the muskets and cannons were still being fired. As a pivotal moment in the history of the United States, it is not surprising that the war has found its way into a variety of movies. Continue reading “Hollywood and the American Civil War”
As part of the library’s Winter Reading program “Take Time to Care” we are providing relaxation kits that you can pick up for someone who needs a little TLC. Feel free to pick up one for yourself, too. These kits include yoga for the brain activity cards, links to free relaxation music through the library’s Freegal platform, lavender sachets, adult coloring pages and techniques for meditation, stress reduction, and mindfulness, along with other library resources.
These kits will be available while they last in all of our branches on Friday, February 10. You may pick them up at the second-floor reference desk at the Columbia library and near the service desks at our other branches. You can also try these library resources for more assistance in self-care. We hope this helps you “Take Time to Care.”
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in February. 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.
Top Picks
“The Wise Hours: A Journey Into the Wild and Secret World of Owls” by Miriam Darlington (Feb 7)
Owls have existed for over sixty million years, and in the relatively short time we have shared the planet with these majestic birds they have ignited the human imagination. But even as owls continue to captivate our collective consciousness, celebrated British nature writer Miriam Darlington finds herself struck by all she doesn’t know about the true nature of these enigmatic creatures. Darlington begins her fieldwork in the British Isles with her teenage son, Benji. As her avian fascination grows, she travels to France, Serbia, Spain, Finland, and the frosted Lapland borders of the Arctic for rare encounters with the Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Long-eared Owl, Pygmy Owl, Snowy Owl and more. But when her son develops a mysterious illness, her quest to understand the elusive nature of owls becomes entangled with her search for finding a cure. In “The Wise Hours,” Darlington watches and listens to the natural world and to the rhythms of her home and family, inviting readers to discover the wonders of owls alongside her while rewilding our imagination with the mystery, fragility and magnificence of all creatures. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: February 2023”
