Today brings us into the home stretch of pollinator week. I trust that you have been outside all week, feverishly pollinating plants by hand. Hard work, isn’t it? It’s a lot easier when we let nature’s other creatures do that work, but we need to have enough of those creatures to pollinate the plants. Otherwise, there could be problems.
Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. 1 out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators, and pollinators add 217 billion dollars to the global economy. As if that wasn’t enough, they also support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife. So, a problem for pollinators can easily become a problem for us.
The designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” was a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Some of the ways you can help are to utilize plants that support pollinators, support local beekeepers, practice conservation and be a responsible steward of the environment.
“What are these pollinators?” you say? Thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation, we have a beautiful collection of photographs of some. Continue reading “Pollinator Week 2020”
I’m sure I’m not the only avid reader who often finishes a book, or an entire series, yet still wishes to know more about the characters and the fictional universe they inhabit. Specifically, I wonder about what happened in their pasts. This is where prequels come in.
I’ve done a lot of pondering about the world Suzanne Collins created with The Hunger Games trilogy. How did it get to the state it was in? Were the games always so technologically advanced? Some backstory was woven into the original three books, explaining the origins of the deadly contest for which the series is named. Readers saw many details about the mechanical and political workings of the games as experienced by teenaged protagonist Katniss Everdeen and dictated by the ruthless leader of Panem, President Snow. Now, in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” a recently released prequel that is set 64 years before Katniss became a District 12 tribute, we get a look at how things were done in the early days, when Coriolanus Snow was a teenager eager to restore his family’s ever-slipping position of power in society. Continue reading “Prequels: What Happened Before”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Seven Worlds, One Planet”
Series 1
Website / Reviews
Millions of years ago, incredible forces ripped apart the Earth’s crust, creating our seven continents, each with its own distinct climate, its own distinct terrain, and its own unique animal life. This documentary series presented by Sir David Attenborough showcases the true character of each continent in turn and reveals just how it has shaped all life there. Continue reading “New DVD List: Seven Worlds, One Planet, & More”
Why should kids have all the fun? Summer Reading is for grown-ups, too! The Daniel Boone Regional Library is challenging adults to read three books, submit three book reviews and do seven fun, library-related activities. Complete the challenge, and beginning August 1, you’ll receive a prize. You’ll also be entered into a drawing for other fun rewards including a Kindle Fire tablet or a book store gift card.
Step One: Register for the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. Download a reading record to help you keep track of your reading, reviews and activities.
Step Two: Read three books and submit three book reviews.
Step Three: Complete any seven of these activities: Continue reading “Adult Summer Reading 2020: Imagine Your Story”
This September, our community will explore resilience in isolation with Amor Towles’ “A Gentleman in Moscow,” a spellbinding work of historical fiction. This novel beat out the legal historical thriller “The Last Days of Night” by Graham Moore to be named this year’s One Read.
Before the public vote, a panel of community members considered a varied list of ten finalist books that includes other works of historical fiction, thought-provoking nonfiction, explorations of identity and, this year’s wild card, a darkly satirical story of a serial killer. Continue reading “Literary Links: One Read Final 10”
Below I will be sharing some of the new nonfiction titles that will be released in June. All the titles are available to put on hold from our catalog and will also be made available on the library’s Overdrive account on the day of publication. For a more extensive list of new nonfiction book coming out this month check out our catalog.
Top Picks
“Ghost Road: Beyond the Driverless Car” by Anthony M. Townsend (Jun 9)
For decades we have tried to build a car that will drive itself. Anthony M. Townsend’s “Ghost Road” argues convincingly that the driverless car is a red herring. When self-driving technology infects buses, bikes, delivery vans, and even buildings, a wild, woollier, future awaits. Technology will transform life behind the wheel into a hi-def video game that makes our ride safer, smoother and more efficient. Meanwhile, autonomous vehicles will turbocharge our appetite for the instant delivery of goods, making the future as much about moving stuff as it is about moving people. For-profit companies will link the automated machines that move us to the cloud, raising concerns about mobility monopolies and privatization of “the curb.” Our cities and towns will change as we embrace new ways to get around. “Ghost Road” explains where we might be headed together in driverless vehicles, and the choices we must make as societies and individuals to shape that future. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: June 2020”
We took a pause on ordering new titles for our physical collection while we were closed, but now that you can once again place holds and we’re able to open our doors at last, ordering has begun again. Which means that you can finally get your hands on the books published by debut authors for April, May and June. For a more complete list, please visit our catalog.
“The Engineer’s Wife” by Tracey Enerson Wood – April
Emily Warren Roebling refuses to live conventionally — she knows who she is and what she wants, and she’s determined to make change. But then her husband Wash asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible.
Emily’s fight for women’s suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when Wash, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. Lines blur as Wash’s vision becomes her own, and when he is unable to return to the job, Emily is consumed by it. But as the project takes shape under Emily’s direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building — hers, or her husband’s. As the monument rises, Emily’s marriage, principles and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it?
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: April-June 2020”
June 6 is the 76th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe, otherwise known as D-Day or Operation Overlord. While the military invasion has been recounted ad-nauseum over the decades, what is far less well-known is how espionage and deception were perhaps just as crucial to the success of the operation. The British Secret Service, MI6, which ran nearly all of the espionage efforts, was an efficient enterprise run by genius spymasters. Their uncanny success was assisted even further by the fact that they had broken the German Enigma code and could intercept nearly all messages sent to German spies (See “Enigma: The Battle for the Code” for a thorough account of this breakthrough). Special agents involved in espionage ran the gamut. From mad fantasists to scions of old European aristocracy and ne’er-do-wells who could seduce, lie and cajole their gullible German handlers, they were a crop of outlandish and brilliant women and men who helped turn the tide of war. Continue reading “Books on Espionage and the Allied Invasion”
Hi, all! I hope you’re reading hard and staying safe. You know how there are some Read Harder tasks where you wonder how you could possibly find a book to read for it? This one was the complete opposite — there are just too many amazing debut novels by queer authors! The diverse mix of books below barely scratches the surface. As per the new usual, all of these books are available digitally through Overdrive or Hoopla. Continue reading “Read Harder: A Debut Novel By a Queer Author”
Over these past several weeks, I haven’t ventured much outside my neighborhood. As I’ve wandered the tree-lined side streets, I’ve waved to neighbors who were also out and about, either digging in their gardens or walking their dogs. I’m still relatively new to my neighborhood and I’ve come to realize how few of these folks I recognize, let alone know. This, of course, sparks my active imagination, getting me wondering about who they might be — what kind of lives are lived behind closed doors? This has certainly inspired my reading choices, directing me towards several books that have provided a look into the deep, dark secrets of many seemingly safe neighborhoods. Each of these titles can be found on our downloadable and streaming services. Continue reading “Behind Closed Doors: Domestic Suspense”
