As the weather turns cold now is the perfect time to cozy up with a good book, a hot beverage and your pet of choice. If you’re looking for some promising new authors to sample, here are some ideas. For a longer list of titles by debut authors, please visit our catalog.
“The Chicken Sisters” by K.J. Dell’Antonia
In tiny Merinac, Kansas, Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have spent a century vying to serve up the best fried chicken in the state — and the legendary feud between their respective owners, the Moores and the Pogociellos, has lasted just as long. No one feels the impact more than thirty-five-year-old widow Amanda Moore, who grew up working for her mom at Mimi’s before scandalously marrying Frank Pogociello and changing sides to work at Frannie’s. Tired of being caught in the middle, Amanda sends an SOS to Food Wars, the reality TV restaurant competition that promises $100,000 to the winner. But in doing so, she launches both families out of the frying pan and directly into the fire… Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: December 2020”
I will spare you the “with the new normal … ” spiel. Holidays feeling lonely, while new to some, has long been a familiar feeling to many. Pre-pandemic, many people were too far away from family to travel, had toxic families who were damaging to their mental health or simply did not have any family with whom they could gather. You may be spending the holidays alone this year, or with significantly fewer people than you are used to. I can’t promise you merry and bright, but it doesn’t have to be bad. Continue reading “Making Holidays Less Lonely”
During the winter months I love to heat up some hot cocoa and get creative. Even though this year is different than any other year, I’m still busting out my mug and my paints. You can paint along with me at www.dbrl.org/yeti-painting and create a winter wonderland painting that features an adorable tiny yeti. Continue reading “Winter Guided Painting: Mini Yeti”
The time just changed and ,although it did make that one Sunday feel so much longer, the skies are dark now when I leave work. If you are like me and get the “darkness doldrums” finding something to keep busy with helps. I usually do this by thinking of the holidays and gifts or decorations to make. Continue reading “Crafternoon to Go: Bubble Print Gift Tags”
We are so excited to have begun our First Thursday book discussions for adults again through Zoom. We had a wonderful discussion of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum in November, and on December 3 from 12-1 p.m., we will be talking about “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and several stories about this detective and his sleuthing companion, Dr. Watson. If you haven’t read any of this series, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is considered by many to be the classic Sherlock Holmes novel. In 1999, it was listed as the top Holmes novel with a perfect rating from the Sherlockian Scholars poll by The Baker Street Journal. Continue reading “First Thursday Book Discussion: The Hound of the Baskervilles”
This is the third and final blog post in the homeschooling and distance learning series I’ve been doing over the last couple of months. This post will focus on community resources for people looking for more information and help with homeschooling and distance learning. I’ll also be including some odds and ends that I have come across since starting this series of blog posts. Continue reading “Homeschooling and Distance Learning Resources: Community Resources and More!”
“I am thankful that I am an oak, and that though I may be wind-broken or uprooted, hewn or sawn, at least I cannot, under any circumstances, be squashed.”
– from the short story “The Direction of the Road” by Ursula K. Le Guin
A month ago, despite political polarization and an isolating global pandemic, our community united in well-wishes for the McBaine Burr Oak, colloquially known as “Big Tree.” It was struck by lightning during a formidable morning thunderstorm and damaged to lengths only next springtime can reveal. Now seems an especially good time to meditate on its resilience and let ourselves feel awe in its presence. Continue reading “Resilient Trees”
Kerri Linder is a Columbia, MO author who recently came out with her debut book, “Iconic Restaurants of Columbia Missouri.” The book explores Columbia’s culinary history, which is chock-full of restaurants that not only satisfied appetites but also provided gathering places to build community. Born and raised in Columbia, Linder combined her passion for food, local history and meeting new people and started Columbia Culinary Tours in 2014. I recently emailed some interview questions to her, and she was kind enough to take time out of her schedule to write back some answers. Continue reading “Author Interview: Kerri Linder”
Editor’s note: This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will be sharing more throughout the rest of the year.
“This Is How It Always Is” by Laurie Frankel is about a family with a gender non-conforming child and how one secret can change a family’s whole dynamic. I loved the story itself and seeing the world from Poppy’s perspective. I didn’t entirely enjoy Penn’s long dramatic monologues. It was a slower read for me, but I feel like it opened my mind to what it would be like to have a big family and a gender non-conforming family member! The universal theme of a family keeping secrets is always interesting, too.
Three words that describe this book: family, secrets, heartwarming
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re a parent or someone who is gender non-conforming or loves someone who is!
-Samantha
Editor’s note: This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will be sharing more throughout the rest of the year.
“Nordic Tales” is a collection of folktales from several Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark — accompanied by beautiful illustrations of the tales. There’s a mouse turning into a princess and a polar bear into a prince and a boy who feels no fear.
Some of these tales have familiar threads — after all, Hans Christian Andersen was Danish and many folk and fairy tales have similar themes. But many of these were very different from the stories I grew up reading. I greatly enjoyed them.
Three words that describe this book: fantastical, charming, traditional
You might want to pick this book up if: you love fairy tales and are looking for something beyond Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm brothers.
-Katherine
