New: Staff Picks Display

Ever wonder what the librarians are reading? Looking for something new and recommended at the library?

Presenting: Staff Picks! This first floor display will show you which books and movies we recommend. The display will be refreshed with new choices regularly. You can read a little about each item (and who picked it) with our handy signs.

Currently, the Staff Picks are as follows:

• Savannah Patterson: Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley
• Susan Kriaski: American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
• Melissa Moore: Wintergirls
• Olivia Chin: 1Q84
• Sara Hand: The Tatooist of Auschwitz
• Paul Sorrell: Spygate: The Attempted Sabotage of Donald J. Trump
• Rachel Bloomingburg: The Wedding Dress
• Amber Wessies: Wicked Girls
• Beth Lynn: Where The Crawdads Sing
• Tabitha Modisette: Cultivating The Fruit of the Spirit
• Jeannie Byrd: When Crickets Cry

 

Each item is available for check out. Happy reading!

Top 5 True Crime Novels

My favorite book genre, beyond any doubt, is true crime. Don’t worry, I’m not encouraging criminals to keep committing terrible acts that make engrossing stories. The part of true crime I really enjoy is the detective work- how did the police and investigators find the criminals? What details were missed or discovered along the way? How did the family of the wronged person(s) rebuild their lives in the aftermath?

The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker (one of the best books I’ve ever read) talks about how if you have the ability to imagine a crime, it’s already been committed by someone else. It warns you that criminals are not inhuman monsters like we may want to imagine. No, criminals are people just like us, who move and work and breathe beside us. This isn’t meant to scare you (although it is certainly scary)- this just means that we need to figure out why some people commit acts of deviance. What’s the motive? Is this behavior something you are born with, or something you’ve picked up via your environment and upbringing? It’s the classic nature vs. nurture question.

All of these questions are examined and, in some specific cases, halfway answered in quality true crime novels. Reading them, you get to follow along as more evidence comes to light and one more piece of the puzzle is found. The best true crime novels make you a part of the story. The ones listed below are examples:

 

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Crime: Charles Manson & The Manson Family murders

Setting: Late 60s and early 70s California

Why It’s Worth A Read: This book was written by the main prosecutor of Charles Manson and his followers, Vincent Bugliosi. Bugliosi spent countless hours trying to figure out who committed the murders and why they followed Manson’s orders so devotedly; he himself did police work when the police were too busy to take it on. The Manson Family was a cult unlike any that had been seen before, and the motive of the crimes was difficult but entirely necessary for Bugliosi to prove before the judge. Helter Skelter is fast-paced, gruesome, and exciting, especially when Bugliosi goes head-to-head with Manson in the court room.

 

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Crime: Seemingly random murders of the Clutter family

Setting: Kansas, 1959

Why It’s Worth A Read: Some people believe that this book is where the true crime genre originally started. Truman Capote writes with dark precision as he recounts the crime, the history of the criminals involved, and how the small town in Kansas was changed forever. In Cold Blood is also a great example of creative nonfiction; Capote didn’t know every word spoken at the crime scene, but he improvises believable and factually accurate dialogue.

 

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

Crime: Kidnapping and murders of World’s Fair visitors

Setting: Chicago, 1893

Why It’s Worth A Read: Erik Larson masterfully splits this book into two stories: one is that of Daniel H. Burnham, an architect who designed the 1893 World’s Fair; the other is about Dr. H.H. Holmes, a local pharmacist and serial killer. Both men would change Chicago and make history but in vastly different ways. This book is equal parts history and true crime, so you’ll learn a lot about America’s age of immigration, industrialization practices, and economic depression while following the stories.

 

I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search For The Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

Crime: Around 50 serial rapes and murders

Setting: 70s and 80s California

Why It’s Worth A Read: Michelle McNamara wasn’t a police officer or detective: she was a writer who was obsessed with finding a serial killer. Over the years, McNamara gathered information online and on foot about the then unknown man. Unfortunately, McNamara died before her research could be published, so her husband (comedian Patton Oswalt) and friends gathered her extensive work and published it as I’ll Be Gone In The Dark. Spoiler alert: the police arrested the man who is believed to be the Golden State Killer in April 2018, only 2 years after McNamara’s death.

 

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

Crime: Double murder

Setting: Utah, 1984

Why It’s Worth A Read: The criminals in question were fundamentalist Mormons, an extreme religious sect of Mormonism, who believed that a divine order justified their crimes. Jon Krakauer not only describes the ups and downs of this case, but he also records the history of Mormonism in depth. Chances are you’ll learn something new from this excellently researched book.

 

 

Featured Book: “Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles”

If you’ve ever dealt with (or are currently dealing with) OCD, ADHD, depression, Alzheimer’s, and other mental health disorders, you are not alone. That is the overarching message of Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles. This book includes essays from various writers about their experiences with personal conflicts. Each essay is from a different author, so the writing style varies, and one author even incorporates free verse to tell her story.

Some of the authors included are as follows:

• Amber Benson (who portrayed the character Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
• Jessica Burkhart (author of Wild Hearts)
• Scott Neumyer (a popular journalist)
• Sara Zarr (author of Story of a Girl).

It can be comforting to read about others who have struggled, gotten help, and learned how to cope. However, some of the stories depicted could be hard to read about for someone who is currently experiencing a similar situation- so be aware of this book’s heavy nature.

Several of Life Inside My Mind‘s lessons can be summed up in this passage from Amber Benson:

As much as your friends love you and want to be there for you, it’s not their job to fix you. Ignoring the problem, or pretending “you’ve got it under control,” will only make things worse. A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist knows that they’re doing (they went to school for a long time in order to do this), and they know how to help you get back on track . . .

Whether we like it or not, the stress of of being a human being can be overwhelming, and having a safe space to talk about our problems, assess whether our brains are working correctly, make sure there’s nothing chemically out of line . . . well, I think that’s super important. I know I need that safe space in my life if I’m going to be a productive member of society.

Getting help when you need it- whatever that looks like for you- is encouraged by all of the authors in this book. They’ve been there themselves, and many of them are still figuring it all out. Pick up Life Inside My Mind when you need to know that you’re not alone in your struggles.

 

 

Tell A Story Day (April 27th)

 

“Tell A Story Day” is upon us. The purpose of this fun holiday is to offer a special day to read and tell stories of all kinds. Libraries across the country will have unique readings to children and famous authors will gather to share ideas. It is a day to remember one of the oldest practices humanity still continues to today. So, if you’re interested in ever writing a story, or just making your friends laugh, here are some tips on how to tell an effective story. (These tips apply to both written and spoken stories.)

 

1. Know Where You’re Going

Going on a trip is always fun. Most people plan out a trip by finding hotels, checking airline prices, finding tourist attractions, and planning for transportation. Rarely would you go on a trip without planning any of this, or without packing. When it comes to telling a story, planning is key. Determine the point or destination of your story. If your story does not have a point or end idea, then maybe save it, or reframe it. The worst feeling is to get to the end of your story and your audience not understand why you told it in the first place. Know where you’re going and lead your audience there- which brings me to my second point.

 

2. Lead Your Audience

Stories are about guidance. Think of yourself as a tour guide as you take your audience through the story. You know the twists and the turns. You know the places where suspense will be key, but remember that your audience does not know these things. You must bring them there. Do not give away too much at the beginning or save everything for the end. Remember how long you have to tell the story (page count or time limit) and pull the story along that time. Your words (written or spoken) are like a rope that the audience follows to the destination you have determined. As you tell your story, focus only on the details that matter along the road you are bringing them down. Do not allow them (or yourself) to become too distracted. You will lose them quickly if you don’t lead well.

 

3. Stay Focused

It is very easy (especially when talking) to begin to wander around in your storytelling. Perhaps you think of another story while telling one. Your brain has made the connection so you jump to the next thing, leaving your audience confused on where you’ve taken them. Be careful when following rabbit trails. Your audience may begin to believe that there is no destination and that you are just meandering with your words. Once they become directionless, your audience will stop caring about the story. If a tangent is important to the destination, help the audience to understand why it is important.

 

4. Don’t Laugh Before the Punchline

I often find myself, usually when telling jokes I find particularly funny, laughing before I’ve delivered the punchline. The problem is, I’ve not helped my audience appreciate the joke more, I’ve only aggravated them. I’ve done so simply by knowing something they don’t. I’m the one telling the joke, I shouldn’t laugh until everyone else does. In storytelling, this can happen as well. If you show emotions out of place with the current moment in the story, you will confuse your audience. If you know something about a character the audience doesn’t, don’t make comments about it until the time when the audience understands. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t foreshadow, but only that you don’t give everything away before the proper time.

 

5. Have a Moral (but not a moral-of-the-story)

We have all heard the line “the moral of the story is…” Since you have undoubtedly heard this before, you understand it is a cliche. Try to avoid cliches as much as possible, including this one. If you tell your story well, there is no need for this tagline at the end. Your audience will have grasped the moral without realizing it. That is the point of the path you are taking them on. By the end they hardly remember every step, but they can look back and see how far they’ve come along.

 

Storytelling is an amazing practice. So take these tips and write and tell away! Take your audience along for the ride, but pay attention: you never know what a story might teach you.

 

*written by Brennan Kress

Top 5 Books About Math

If the quadratic formula makes you excited, or if finding the diameter of a circle is practically a walk in the park for you, then these books will be sure to put a smile on your face. There are not many well-known math-related books, simply because math has always been more of a numbers game. However, the library has some great books about brilliant math masterminds, interesting mathematical discoveries, and tips for teaching math.

 

Biography: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth

Author: Paul Hoffman

Publisher description:

For more than six decades, Erdos lived out of two tattered suitcases, crisscrossing four continents at a frenzied pace, chasing mathematical problems and fresh talent. Erdos saw mathematics as a search for lasting beauty and ultimate truth. It was a search Erdos never abandoned, even as his life was torn asunder by some of the major political dramas of our time. In this biography, Hoffman uses Erdos’s life and work to introduce readers to a cast of remarkable geniuses, from Archimedes to Stanislaw Ulam, one of the chief minds behind the Los Alamos nuclear project.

 

Nonfiction: Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences

Author: John Allen Paulos

Publisher description:

Examines the nation’s burgeoning inability to deal rationally with very large numbers, assesses the impact on government policymaking and everyday life, and shows what can be done about this.

 

 

Fiction: Flatland

Author: Edwin Abbott Abbott

Publisher description:

Flatland, Edwin Abbott Abbott’s story of a two-dimensional universe, as told by one of its inhabitants who is introduced to the mysteries of three-dimensional space, has enjoyed an enduring popularity from the time of its publication in 1884. This fully annotated edition enables the modern day reader to understand and appreciate the many “dimensions” of this classic satire with commentary on language and literary style, including numerous definitions of obscure words and an appendix on Abbott’s life and work.

 

Nonfiction: How Not To Be Wrong

Author: Jordan Ellenburg

Publisher description:

In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us that math isn’t confined to abstract incidents that never occur in real life, but rather touches everything we do–the whole world is shot through with it. Math allows us to see the hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of our world. It’s a science of not being wrong, hammered out by centuries of hard work and argument. Armed with the tools of mathematics, we can see through to the true meaning of information we take for granted: How early should you get to the airport? What does “public opinion” really represent? Why do tall parents have shorter children? Who really won Florida in 2000? And how likely are you, really, to develop cancer?

 

Biography: A Beautiful Mind

Author: Sylvia Nasar

Publisher description:

In this biography, Sylvia Nasar re-creates the life of a mathematical genius whose brilliant career was cut short by schizophrenia and who, after three decades of devastating mental illness, miraculously recovered and was honored with a Nobel Prize. A Beautiful Mind traces the meteoric rise of John Forbes Nash, Jr., from his lonely childhood in West Virginia to his student years at Princeton, where he encountered Albert Einstein, John von Neumann, and a host of other mathematical luminaries.

 

Featured eBook: “I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories Of Becoming A Nurse”

 

I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out is a collection of vibrant, funny, honest narrative essays by nurses working in vastly different settings – everything from a cancer ward to a Mercy Ship off the coast of Africa to an Israeli mental hospital.

As editor Lee Gutkind explains in the introduction, “Every essay tells a different story, but all of the essays have a common theme: no matter how difficult nurses’ lives or how secret their suffering, becoming a nurse entails movement into another dimension of strength and character and persistence; it is a path of irreplaceable and often unacknowledged service to society and humanity.”

“Becoming a nurse…is a path of irreplaceable and often unacknowledged service to society and humanity.”

Both sobering and inspirational, this eBook provides a collection of stories that will appeal not only to nursing students but to anyone who loves a good human interest story.

You can access our eBooks collection by searching our regular catalog on the website or going to Databases, E-books, and Media in the Quick Links section of the site.

Featured Book: “This Is Your Brain On Music” by Daniel J. Levitin

When you think about music, do you imagine Madonna or Mozart? Jazz or classic rock? What makes you like the genres that you do?

In his book This Is Your Brain On Music, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin strives to answer these questions by analyzing how the human brain responds to music. First, Levitin breaks down the fundamentals of music, defining “pitch,” “rhythm,” “timbre,” and more. Then, Levitin explores cognitive functions, describing the brain’s neural organization of music.

The music-to-brain research explains everyday phenomena, such as:

• how composers exploit the way our brains make sense of the world
• why we emotionally attach to music we listen to as teenagers
• why 10,000 hours of practice- not talent- makes virtuosos
• how insidious jingles (aka ear worms) get stuck in our heads

This Is Your Brain On Music is currently in our New Books section on the 2nd floor. If you want to learn more about how your brain responds to your favorite songs, check it out!

Featured Book: “The Revenant”

It is a rare feat for someone as busy as the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, to find the time to write what would become a best-selling book. Yet that is exactly what Michael Punke did.

Inspired by the true story of frontiersman Hugh Glass, Punke penned a fictional tale of survival and revenge which would inspire the Oscar-nominated film of the same name. The Revenant follows Hugh Glass as he struggles to persevere through both a vicious bear attack and a monstrous betrayal by two members of his team. What unfolds is a stark examination of man vs. nature; Glass must drag himself across uncharted territory, all the while fighting off would-be attackers, dangerous animals, and his own massive wounds. If he lives through his physical ordeal, he will then have a moral dilemma to face: whether or not to deliver revenge to those who left him behind.

The Revenant is available for check-out at the library in the Recreational Reading section. More information can be found online here.