Adults Blog - Daniel Boone Regional Library

Quick Links

Debut Author Spotlight: October 2018

Posted on Friday, October 5, 2018 by Katherine

Fall is finally here and, more importantly, fall weather! It’s time to welcome the cooler temps by curling up with a hot beverage, a furry pet and a good book. If you’re looking for something to keep you warm, try one of these cozy novels by debut authors. And if cozy isn’t your style, check out our list of all the debut author titles new this month.

“The Travelling Cat Chronicles” by Hiro Arikawa

After several years together, Satoru has determined he needs to find a new home for his adopted stray cat Nana, although Nana is unsure why. The two friends head off on a road trip across Japan, meeting up with friends from Satoru’s past. However, finding an owner who is just the right fit for Nana proves to be an adventure for the two friends. Told through Nana’s sassy point of view as well as flashbacks to Satoru’s past, this charming book is already a bestseller in Japan.

“A Crafter Knits a Clue” by Holly Quinn

Returning to her hometown for her best friend Kate’s funeral, Sammy Kane decides to stay and take over Kate’s craft store. Not long after, Sammy wanders down to the new yarn store opening nearby and finds its owner murdered. The weapon? A knitting needle. Eager to solve the murder, and help out the handsome detective Liam Nash, Sammy resurrects her childhood detective club — the other members being her cousin Heidi and sister Ellie. But even as Liam tries protect her by keeping her out of the investigation, Sammy and her club are well on their way to putting all the clues together and solving the murder.

Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: October 2018”

Reader Review: The Kiss Quotient

Posted on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 by patron reviewer

Editor’s note: This review was submitted by a library patron during the 2018 Adult Summer Reading program. We will continue to periodically share some of these reviews throughout the year.

In “The Kiss Quotient,” Stella is a brilliant econometrician who easily loses herself in statistics, mathematics and solving the puzzles of economic trends. Her specialized career rewards her extremely well financially, plus she is from a family of means. Owning her own minimally furnished home (save her grand piano which is her sanctuary), her Tesla and personally tailored suits for work, it would seem all was well in the life of Stella. However, when it comes to personal and social interaction and romantic encounters, well, Stella is a 0 on a scale of 1 – 10. She decides to take matters in her own hands and pursue a very unorthodox means of improving herself in that area. Learning about Stella and her challenges in life was extremely interesting. I would like to read a sequel to see how she deals with her future.

Three words that describe this book: autistic, devotion, understanding

You might want to pick this book up if: you like to read about how people with certain challenges perceive life — the author did a impressive job and letting us know what life was truly like for an extremely high functioning autistic person.

-Pamela

Nonfiction Roundup: October 2018

Posted on Monday, October 1, 2018 by Liz

Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released this October. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.

Top Picks

In her new title, “The Library Book,” Susan Orlean, the acclaimed best-selling author of “Rin Tin Tin” and “The Orchid Thief,” reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution — our libraries.

Check out the new title from Bill O’Reilly’s popular Killing series, “Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History.” As the true horrors of the Third Reich began to be exposed immediately after World War II, the Nazi war criminals who committed genocide went on the run. A few were swiftly caught, others, however, evaded capture. “Killing the SS” is the epic saga of the espionage and daring waged by self-styled “Nazi hunters.” Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: October 2018”

Autumn Recipes Round-up

Posted on Friday, September 28, 2018 by Larkspur

We all have seasonal dishes that we relish and return to year after year as our favorite ingredients become available. There is nothing wrong with loving our preferences and repeating our efforts in the kitchen, especially since established traditions, particularly around food, bring us enjoyment and comfort, and lend some stability to our ever fluctuating lives. Yet, trying new recipes, or variations on tried and true renditions, can liven up our creative cooking sensibilitiesand invigorate our palates. I’ve whipped up this list of cookbooks, arranged by seasons of the year, for your perusal. Many of them contain exquisite photographs of the seasons’ best bounty to further engage your interest in preparing what lies within, whether for daily fare or for holiday gatherings. Take a look at their “autumn or fall” chapters to see what new recipes might interest you. I hope you discover some new favorites that you can add to your fall cooking repertoire. Bon appetit! Continue reading “Autumn Recipes Round-up”

Leaving Early: Docs About Suicide

Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 by Decimal Diver

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Documentaries on the subject can give perspective to not only those contemplating suicide, but friends, family, and caregivers as well. Check out these documentaries about suicide.

“The Departure” (2017)

A former punk-turned-Buddhist-priest in Japan has made a career out of helping suicidal people find reasons to live. But this work has come increasingly at the cost of his own family and health. This film captures him at a crossroads, leading him to confront the same question his patients ask him: what makes life worth living?

“Kate Plays Christine” (2016)

A gripping, nonfiction psychological thriller, Robert Greene’s film follows actress Kate Lyn Sheil as she prepares for her next role: playing Christine Chubbuck, a Florida newscaster who committed suicide live on-air in 1974. As Kate investigates Chubbuck’s story uncovering new clues and information, she becomes increasingly obsessed with her subject.

“How To Die In Oregon” (2012)

In 1994, Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. As a result, any individual whom two physicians diagnose as having less than six months to live can lawfully request a fatal dose of barbiturate to end his or her life. This film gently enters the lives of the terminally ill as they consider whether, and when, to end their lives by lethal overdose.

Banning Books Silences Stories

Posted on Monday, September 24, 2018 by Reading Addict

It’s Fall again! It’s my favorite time of the year. Autumn brings beautiful colors, cooler weather (sweater weather — soon?), and the kids back in school. It also brings Banned Books Week, September 23-29. The American Library Association (ALA) began Banned Books Week in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in challenges to books in schools, stores and libraries. This year’s Banned Book Week theme is “Banning Books Silences Stories.”

Many of my favorite books have been banned or challenged books. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every book is created equal or that every book should be read and adored by all just because someone says it should (or shouldn’t). But whose stories are being silenced and who is doing the silencing? Just looking over a list of my own favorite banned books, many of the stories tend to be about the working poor, immigrants, minority groups, women, the unwell and the powerless. Continue reading “Banning Books Silences Stories”

Tour the Rocheport Cemetery

Posted on Friday, September 21, 2018 by Dana

Autumn is a time of shortening days and cooler temperatures. The year is sliding into darkness, and so our thoughts, as they have done for centuries, turn to mortality, death and eldritch fears. And what better way to contemplate the most natural thing in the world, death, than with a cemetery tour in an idyllic rural setting? Continue reading “Tour the Rocheport Cemetery”

The Gentleman Recommends: Joe Mungo Reed

Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Chris

Like most gentlemen, I traverse the thoroughfares of my city via the most elegant means: the humble old-timey unicycle (or penny-farthing, if you prefer). (The modern one-wheel unicycle is a circus performer’s tool: fine for agitating depressed exotic animals, but certainly not an elegant way of traversing the boulevards between peer’s parlors and unicycle repair shops.) Sure, strong crosswinds and gawking motorists present hazards, but one large wheel, one ridiculously tiny wheel, two pedals, a steering apparatus, a medium-sized handheld bell, and, should you require luxury, a seat, are all one needs to travel in style and in possession of the higher moral ground. Armed with this obvious truth, it’s to be expected that I turn a skeptical eye on bicycles. Two wheels, sure, but making them the same size is downright ostentatious, and you do not need me to explain why. So gentleman rec-heads (what my fans refer to themselves as, I assume), may be surprised to find me recommending a book so tied to a device that replaced so many unicycles in the homes of undiscerning pedalists. But, first, look at that author’s name: Joe Mungo Reed. There are three names, two of them are mundane, and one of them is Mungo. It makes for a quailty name. It’s fun to say. Mungo.

Also, the book is really good, even if, as this positive review points out, Joe Mungo Reed doesn’t always nail cycling parlance, and as my positive recommendation currently points out, he never pays tribute or even mentions a penny-farthing or old-timey unicycle despite there being, at times, dozens of cyclists in his scenes, at which point any one of them could organically say something like, “While I’m being sufficiently transported by this racing bicycle I am currently riding, I’d be remiss if I failed to pay tribute to the first excellent two-wheel vehicle, the penny-farthing, or, if you prefer (and I do), the humble old-timey unicycle. Now there was an apparatus upon which one could travel elegantly!” Clearly such dialogue would have enhanced the novel (and it’s up for grabs if Joe Mungo Reed is compelled to produce a sequel), but there is still much to recommend the book.

Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Joe Mungo Reed”

LibraryReads: September 2018

Posted on Monday, September 17, 2018 by Kat

September’s LibraryReads list is here! In this edition we have some heartwarming romance, historical fiction, satire, some suspense and even a cozy, bookish mystery. Take a look, and get ready to place holds on these librarian favorites for September:

“Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating”
by Christina Lauren

“Hazel is the eccentric, exuberant friend who’ll make you fall in love with her, and she’s not interested in being ‘dateable.’ Josh is busy being a workaholic, trying to make a long distance relationship work, and not pursuing romance with anyone else. But when his sister’s best friend Hazel blows back into his life, he is powerless to resist her genuine joie de vivre. If you’re looking for your next perfect read after The Kiss Quotient, look no further! A lovely slow burn.”
~Elizabeth Gabriel, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, WI Continue reading “LibraryReads: September 2018”

Reader Review: The Worst Hard Time

Posted on Friday, September 14, 2018 by patron reviewer

Editor’s note: This review was submitted by a library patron during the 2018 Adult Summer Reading program. We will continue to periodically share some of these reviews throughout the year.

“The Worst Hard Time” is an engrossing and compelling description of the causes of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and the seemingly apocalyptic daily existence in the Dust Bowl. It was an incredibly difficult time for the people who lived there, although it was basically caused by farming practices. The reader lives through all of it — wet sheets on windows to keep out the dust that turns to mud; swarms of grasshoppers; mounds of dust at the front door, etc. It was a very hard life, and the book clearly conveys that. It’s an overlooked part of the 20th century.

Three words that describe this book: engrossing; descriptive; demoralizing

You might want to pick this book up if: You want to learn more about a significant but now overlooked part of the 20th century.

-Jeff

Hoopla

Freegal

Kanopy

Overdrive /Libby

Flipster