“In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” So begins not Douglas Adams’ seminal work, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, but its sequel, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.” Hard to find a better opening line for this blog post though, you have to admit. This year marks 45 years of “Hitchhiker’s,” if you believe in things such as time being a straight line constantly moving forward. In honor of the anniversary, as well as Towel Day on May 25 (a day dedicated to honoring Adams’ life), I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on the legacy of “Hitchhiker’s” all these years later. Continue reading “So Long and Thanks For All the Fish”
Posted on Friday, May 24, 2024 by The Biblio-Buckaroo
It’s May and spring is in full bloom. The days are long and warm and we have put away our winter things. Have you been spring cleaning? Perhaps along with cleaning your space, you would like to switch things up a little (or a lot). Maybe you would like to change the color of a room, sew a chair slip-cover, adopt some house plants or simply introduce a pretty vase of cut flowers. There are many ways to make your home fresh for spring and the library has lots of good books brimming with ideas and suggestions.
“Simple Farmhouse Life: DIY Projects for the All-natural, Handmade Home,” by Missouri blogger Lisa Bass has recipes for making your own cleaning products, instructions for hand dipping candles, and ideas for using reclaimed materials in your home decor. You don’t have to do it all, like Lisa, and have eight kids, a husband and a large, old farmhouse to experience some comforting farmhouse simplicity in your home. Try making a duvet from vintage sheets or some pretty tie-top linen curtains, to soften the look of your bedroom. Continue reading “Interior Decorating Inspiration”
Posted on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 by Decimal Diver
Sean R. Frazier is a Columbia, MO author whose latest book is “The Last Available.” This stand alone comedic fantasy novel follows the bumbling adventures of six unlikely heroes as they attempt to quest their way into defeating an ancient creature that has awakened. Frazier is a father, a husband, a gamer, a runner and a total dork. His other work includes two fantasy book series, the completed Forgotten Years Saga and the newly started Mage Breaker Saga. He was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email. Continue reading “Q&A With Sean R. Frazier, Author of “The Last Available””
Why I Checked It Out: This book was recommended to me by a friend who is on the autism spectrum. Being autistic myself, I figured this book might help me understand my disorder better. Instead, I got a book that fundamentally changed the way that I view myself, my diagnosis and the way that I live my life as a whole. My quality of life as a disabled person has improved significantly after implementing the skills and advice Dr. Price offers in the book. Continue reading “Staff Book Review: Unmasking Autism”
One of my fondest memories as a kid is holding and watching cicadas. Their songs were my lullabies. In today’s environment of extreme bug-phobia and efforts to rid the world of all bugs, I’ve just come to say please be kind.
There’s been a lot of excitement around the overlapping of a 13-year brood of cicadas with a 17-year brood. What that means is that one brood has been underground for approximately 13 years and the other for 17 years and they are both coming to the surface at roughly the same time which happens about every 25 years. According to The University of Connecticut, this is the first time since 1803 that these specific broods have emerged together. That might sound scary, but the overlap will actually only be in small geographic patches of Illinois. Continue reading “Cicadas Don’t Bug Me!”
June’s First Thursday Book Discussion title, “Hollywood Con Queen” by Scott C. Johnson couldn’t get a more apt tag line its tag line “The Hunt for an Evil Genius.” The story starts when a private security consultant first comes across a corner of the “Con Queen’s” web of deception and follows a years long hunt to understand and uncover the con. Johnson’s writing stands out in answering all the questions, peering into all the crannies, including the criminal’s childhood and medical history in an effort to answer, “why?”
Maybe some of us are noble enough not to ‘rubberneck’ at the roadside accident, but I’m not, and traffic studies repeatedly show that most people can’t resist this particular type of temptation. I like to think our fascination with misfortune comes from a some basic human drive to understand danger with the hope of avoiding it yourself.
While there is no shame in reading Johnson’s book as a well-written and compelling curiosity on its own, it can also be viewed a vital cautionary tale and a study in vulnerabilities unique to our time — mostly the false sense of intimacy that can be fostered through technology without proximity.
Did you know that mobile applications have been around for 17 years now? Amazing! Steve Jobs brought out the first iPhone in 2007 and in 2008 the first Apple App Store launched with 500 apps. App stores for Android and Blackberry devices joined the party and “App” was voted Word of the Year for 2010. We were no longer dependent on connecting our devices to our computers to transfer games, music and photos and many people embraced the mobile life.
Public libraries believe in equal access for everyone and that we are part of an educated citizenry, helping you find the information you need when you need it. This includes your digital experience. We have created a series of in-person presentations about various apps, called Appy Hour, in which you can come learn about and interact with apps. You can also watch this space for future Appy Hour blog posts!
Today we’ll examine music apps from a program held earlier this year. Let’s start with the streaming music apps that DBRL provides! Continue reading “Appy Hour: Music”
Adventure is just a page away this summer at the Daniel Boone Regional Library as we invite you to participate in our Summer Reading program: “Adventure Begins at Your Library.”
Summer Reading starts June 1, and is free and open to all ages. Countless adventures await on our library shelves! Here are just a few to kick-start your journey as we step outside and into the great unknown! Continue reading “Literary Links: Summer Reading 2024”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“The Act” – Limited Series – Website / Reviews
This is a dramatic eight-part series based on the bizarre Missouri true crime story. It explores the tragic relationship between young Gypsy Blanchard (Joey King) and her overprotective mother Dee De (Patricia Arquette).
“Lawmen: Bass Reeves” – Season 1 – Website / Reviews
From producers Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo, this fictional series inspired by real-life events follows Bass Reeves’ rise from enslavement to law enforcement as one of the first Black U.S. Deputy Marshals.
“Television Event” – Website / Reviews
A documentary that views the Cold War through the lens of TV network ABC as it narrowly succeeds in producing the most watched, most controversial made-for-TV movie, “The Day After,” in 1983.
“Werckmeister Harmonies” – Website / Reviews This is a restored release of Béla Tarr’s 2000 dramatic Hungarian film. The story unfolds in an unnamed village, where, one day, a mysterious circus arrives and appears to awaken a kind of madness in the citizens.
“The Promised Land” – Website / Reviews In this Danish historical drama set in 1755, Captain Ludvig Kahlen sets out to tame an uninhabitable land and build a colony in the name of the King, but he comes in conflict with the ruthless lord of the region. Continue reading “New DVD List: May 2024”
The Hooded Warbler is one of the vibrant spring migrants you can see in Missouri in May.
May is a big month for birding in Missouri, and the recent storms have made now a great time to get out and bird! May is when most of the migrating birds that pass through Missouri on their way north are in mid-Missouri. They are in their vibrant spring mating colors and there are (slightly) fewer leaves on the trees, making it easier to see them. It can be easy to feel like you don’t know enough or to feel intimidated, but it needn’t be so. There are some great resources to help you increase both your skill and success in birding. Continue reading “May Is for the Birders — Including You”
