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Literary Links: A Brief History of Human Flight

Posted on Sunday, December 8, 2019 by Katherine

Wright Brothers The Dream of Flight, drawing of hot air balloon over crowd of people

On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made their first successful airplane flight on a beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It lasted a mere 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. There would be three more flights that day, the longest totaling 59 seconds and covering 852 feet. But Wilbur and Orville Wright were certainly not the first humans to dream of flight, or even to attempt it. Wilbur Wright put it best:

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who…looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space…on the infinite highway of the air.”

Balloonists book coverLong before the Wright brothers had ever dreamed of a flying machine that would carry a person into the air, the first aeronauts had already left solid ground behind. In “The Balloonists” L.T.C. Rolt reveals the story of another pair of brothers who had their hearts set on flight. The Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, made history in 1783 with the first hot air balloon flight; others soon followed them into the skies. Rolt draws from journals and contemporary accounts to recount the lives and exploits of these early balloonists who paved the way for the Wright brothers. Continue reading “Literary Links: A Brief History of Human Flight”

Know Your Dystopias: The Hard Tomorrow

Posted on Friday, December 6, 2019 by Eric

A growing number of people find the idea of bringing a child into the world a fraught decision, because of both the world the child might inherit, and their potential impact on a struggling world. A recent spate of articles on the subject of childbearing in the context of a climate crisis reveals how widespread this feeling has become. Terms like “anti-natalist,” and groups like BirthStrike, are becoming more mainstream. Yet, children like Greta Thunberg are also being applauded for their leadership and held up as symbols of hope. So much so that Ms. Thunberg felt compelled to chastise the older generation for this at the United Nations. It is not uncommon for people to burden children with hopes and fears for the future. As anxiety about the future increases, so does this burden.  Continue reading “Know Your Dystopias: The Hard Tomorrow”

Debut Author Spotlight: December 2019

Posted on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 by Katherine

As we approach the end of the year, the list of books by debut fiction authors continues to shrink, but there are still some gems coming out in December. And as always, please visit our catalog for the complete list.

All That's Bright and Goone book cover“All That’s Bright and Gone” by Eliza Nellums

I know my brother is dead. But sometimes Mama gets confused.

There’s plenty about the grownup world that 6-year-old Aoife doesn’t understand. Like what happened to her big brother Theo and why her mama is in the hospital instead of home where she belongs. Uncle Donny says she just needs to be patient, but Aoife’s sure her mama won’t be able to come home until Aoife learns what really happened to her brother. The trouble is no one wants to talk about Theo because he was murdered. But by whom?

With her imaginary friend Teddy by her side and the detecting skills of her nosy next door neighbor, Aoife sets out to uncover the truth about her family. But as her search takes her from the banks of Theo’s secret hideout by the river to the rooftops overlooking Detroit, Aoife will learn that some secrets can’t stay hidden forever and sometimes the pain we bury is the biggest secret of them all.

Driven by Aoife’s childlike sincerity and colored by her vivid imagination, “All That’s Bright and Gone” illuminates the unshakeable bond between families — and the lengths we’ll go to bring our loved ones home.

Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: December 2019”

Author Interview: Tim Scherrer

Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 by Decimal Diver

Tim Scherrer is a Columbia, MO author who just came out with his debut book, “Crashed the Gate Doing Ninety-Eight: The Citizens Band Radio and American Culture.” Scherrer recently gave a talk about the book at the Columbia Public Library back in September. Citizens band (CB) radios created America’s first form of electronic social media, where strangers created virtual communities with shared purposes and unique “slanguage.” The book covers the creation, boom and decline of CB radio use as well as the pop culture manifestations of the phenomenon. I recently emailed some interview questions to him, and he was kind enough to take time out of his schedule to write back some answers. Continue reading “Author Interview: Tim Scherrer”

Essays: A Woman’s Perspective

Posted on Monday, November 25, 2019 by Reading Addict

1920s advertisement of woman sitting with a sheet of paperJust say the word “essay” and many people are immediately transported back to high school and the trauma of having to write a paper. I have certainly had those traumatic moments but I have lived enough (or read enough?) to get to the point that I now adore reading the format. Reading a book of essays is like having a really great magazine with interesting articles but without the annoying commercial advertisements. Continue reading “Essays: A Woman’s Perspective”

LibraryReads: November 2019

Posted on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 by Kat

Library Reads logoAs the days get shorter and the nights colder, some great, new books are in order. This month, librarians across the nation are sharing books of love and delight (and if those aren’t your things, there’s a thriller and some nonfiction in there, too) in LibraryReads. I’m particularly excited for Erin Morgenstern’s newest and Jenny Slate’s book of essays. Enjoy!

The Starless Sea book cover“The Starless Sea” by Erin Morgenstern

A moving labyrinth of a story, ever changing and evolving. What begins as a mysterious thread in a book, an opportunity taken or missed and the consequences of the choice, evolves into a story similar to a choose-your-own adventure tale or a mystical video game experience. For fans of Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clarke, and Lev Grossman.
~Cynde Suite, Bartow County Library, Cartersville, GA

Get A Life, Chloe Brown book cover“Get A Life, Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert

Chloe is doing all she can to avoid being defined by her illness. Redford is a talented artist who was verbally abused by his former girlfriend. Smart and snarky, they find ways to help each other face their challenges. Snappy dialogue, dynamic characters and a realistic story make this a good choice for fans of Alyssa Cole and Jasmine Guillory.
~Paula Pergament, Lincolnwood Public Library, Lincolnwood, IL

Little Weirds book cover“Little Weirds” by Jenny Slate

“Weirdly delightful and beyond compare. Essays that provide a look into the comedian’s brain. For fans of Miranda July.”
~Jesica Sweedler DeHart, Neill Public Library, Pullman, WA

TWENTY-ONE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE book cover“Twenty-one Truths About Love” by Matthew Dicks

“Daniel Mayrock is struggling to find his way as a man, husband, and potential father. His story is told entirely in lists. Written as a form of therapy for himself, Daniel’s lists show his sense of humor and feelings of inadequacy. Funny, sad, uplifting but always relatable. A must read for fans of Rachel Joyce and Gabrielle Zevin.”
~Sam Sepulveda, Milford Town Library, Milford, MA

 

And here are the rest for your perusal:

The Gentleman Recommends: Peter Heller

Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 by Chris

When one sees me about town, festooned in my finery, the epitome of elegance, one may assume that the outdoors are of little import to me. But while I may appear to be more concerned with polishing my monocles or removing the cat hair from my topcoat, be assured that while I’m no John Muir, my affinity for natural splendor is as rich and vast as our National Parks System, and given ongoing efforts to diminish the aforementioned treasure, it will likely soon exceed it. Indeed, as I see it, there are few better ways to flee from what ails you than to compete in a hot air balloon race or to make a few loops around the park on one’s penny-farthing. Alas, we now find ourselves firmly in the clenches of winter’s icy claws. Though perhaps when this is published we’ll have returned to fall’s friendly if distressingly moist grasp. Of course, that moist grasp will be at best a brief reprieve before it refreezes and the soggy fingers reform as icy claws from which there is no escape (until spring).  Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Peter Heller”

Quintessential Comics: Top Reads of 2019

Posted on Monday, November 11, 2019 by Josh

We’re back! Hello, everyone, and welcome to the triumphant return of Quintessential Comics! It’s been awhile (almost a year!), so I figured what better way to get back into the swing of things than to do a list of some of the best reads of 2019. We’ve got Batman! We’ve got magic! We’ve got talking foxes in the Midwest?! Well, you’re about to find out. Let’s get into it.

“The Batman Who Laughs”

Batman who laughs book coverFirst up is a spin-off of the popular Dark Nights: Metal series. Written by Scott Snyder, the Dark Nights series accomplished something that I never thought was possible: it made Batman even more dark. Not that Batman was all sunshine and rainbows before, but when you take his character and create a slew of evil re-imaginings of him based on some of his closest allies and friends, it gets pretty rough. The Batman Who Laughs might be the most twisted character born from that idea. He is an amalgam of Bruce Wayne and, arguably, his greatest foe: The Joker. An obsession with chaos combined with the focus and abilities of Batman make The Batman Who Laughs a force to be reckoned with. In his own run, he forces Bruce to contend with his inner demons and own dark impulses in ways that begs the question: What makes Batman, well, Batman? Don’t miss your chance to find out in this series. Continue reading “Quintessential Comics: Top Reads of 2019”

Literary Links: The Legacy of Ice

Posted on Friday, November 8, 2019 by Seth

“Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude”
(From “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene VII)

In past eons, the earth without ice was not a particularly habitable place for humans. It was a scene of relentless volcanism, vast continental swamps and humid rainforests that extended as far south as Antarctica. We are currently in a very different age, the Holocene, represented by the ebb and flow of massive ice sheets. This age may rapidly be coming to an end, replaced by something many scientists call the Anthropocene. Recent books examine both the influence of the ice age on human culture and also what its absence portends. It may soon be a very strange world indeed. Continue reading “Literary Links: The Legacy of Ice”