MADreads Reviews

Each year Madison Public Library partners with UW-Madison to extend the perennially popular Go Big Read program into the broader community with book discussion groups and programs at our libraries.

There will be a keynote event at the Memorial Union Theater featuring a panel of UW-Madison faculty members. But you can also read it for yourself, join a book discussion, or do some deeper exploration of the topic by delving into suggested further reading titles curated by library staff.

This book gave me a glimpse of new and different experiences - while also being very relate-able. It brought up topics that most teens experience - issues of friendship and homework - which helped me further connect to the story and drew me in. I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t annoyingly predictable. You didn’t always know what was coming! Other books by Cynthia Kadohata include Outside Beauty, The Floating World, A Million Shades of Gray, and many more.

Written by Victoria Lenius an eighth grade Girl Scout.

"When she woke she was red. Not flushed, not sunburned, but the solid, declaritive red of a stop sign."

So opens Hillary Jordan's sophomore novel (after Mudbound).

Summer comes to a close and it feels like there just isn’t anything NEW to do before school starts.  How about revisiting something from the past?  August is a great time to slow down and seek out older books that may have been overlooked.   The Relatives Came  by Cynthia Rylant, 1985, Bradbury Press, New York is an exuberant celebration of summer, gardens, travel and most of all….Relatives!  A family drives a long distance to attend a reunion.   The excitement of the journey grows until finally they reach their destination.  And then the hugging begins, as well as the fun of sharing summer

I used to read Jane Feather but haven't picked up anything of hers in a while. So I decided to dip back in and read one I hadn't yet. And boy am I glad I did. The Widow’s Kiss starts off with a bang, or maybe that’s a thud, when Lady Guinevere Mallory has a hand in the death of her drunken, abusive husband. He comes at her while she is standing on a balcony and ends up falling to the stones below. Whether or not Guinevere intended his death is unclear. Even her longtime servants are a little leery since this is the fourth husband she’ll be burying.

If you missed this morning's lunar eclipse, I've got just the thing for you - and it doesn't require being up at 2 am or special glasses. He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly is more than just a mystery novel: it stars a pair of eclipse chasers!

The Wisconsin Book Festival just announced the line-up for their 15th Anniversary event, November 2-5, 2017. You won't want to miss this.

Check out the event schedule at: wisconsinbookfestival.org.

In November 1954 Marilyn Monroe escaped from Hollywood, leaving behind the very public end of her marriage to Joe DiMaggio and the humiliations forced on her by Zanuck and Fox Studios. Leaving with her friend and photographer Milton Greene, Marilyn was determined to recreate herself in New York City as something more than a blonde bombshell.

A young female intern bowled over by the charms of a worldly politician, unhappy in his marriage. Assignations in the office after hours, futile attempts to end the affair, a scandalous revelation in the press during the election cycle. A political career in the balance, a woman branded a tart and worse. Unceasing press. The political sex scandal is nothing new, the outcome for the pol limited to one of two options: immediate political suicide and obscurity, or a show of contrition and a photo-op with the Mrs. before the news cycle turns its attention to the next scandal.

How about some light-hearted fun and mayhem? This mystery series dates from the mid 20^th century, and begins with The Norths Meet Murder. The Norths are a couple living in New York City who inadvertently get involved in homicide. Of the two, Pam North is easily the more interesting character in that her thought process appears to jump from A to G and back to B but somehow she is almost always correct in her assessments and since she also leaps before she looks this is a concern for her publisher husband Jerry.

The 75th World Science Fiction Convention took place a week ago and the winners of their awards, the Hugos, were announced on August 11th and some great choices were made.

The Owl Diaries young reader series by Rebecca Elliot is officially the nicest and the cutest. Eva Wingdale lives with her owl family in Treetopolis. Eva's best friend is Lucy Beakman and her frenemy is Sue Clawson. The level of clever owl and bird word play in this series is spectacular. But what's really notable is the recognition and practice of thoughtfulness throughout all of the stories.

You know, dear readers, that when you’re excited for the titles the didn’t fit on the anticipated titles list as well as those that did, it’s going to be a good month for reading. September sees the start of the big fall publishing season, when publishers release their heavyweight titles in anticipation of the holiday and award seasons. This September is no exception. Here are some highlights:

This is a really great book with an engaging story line - that was also fast-paced and easy to follow. I could relate to many of the things in this story. I liked how the main character had a difficult past - but he was always trying to get through it. It also showed that he wasn't always having the best days - and sometimes what he did made it better, and - other times - made it worse. I enjoyed this book very much - and would recommend it to others!

As they start their marriage, Yejide and Akin are aware they’ve a lot to learn, but there is one thing they are sure of: theirs will be a monogamous marriage. In late 1980s Nigeria, it is still assumed that Akin will take several wives. The pair, who met at university and have thus far weathered Nigeria’s often volatile political and social climate, have the sort of love that is strong enough to withstand any outsider’s attempts to drive them apart. But Akin and Yejide may be their own greatest threat to their marriage, a discovery that comes almost too late. 

I read a lot of picture books.  Sometimes I love a book for the book itself and other times I love a book for the way children react to it.  The first time I read "Dragons Love Tacos" I was not overly impressed.  But after reading it with individual children and at storytimes with kids from ages 3-8, and seeing how much they loved the book, I became a fan.  So, when I saw "Dragons Love Tacos 2 The Sequel" I had to read it.

There is not an easy way to classify this gorgeous, gorgeous book. It's cataloged and shelved with the cookbooks but there's a lot more going on here.  It's an art book, a photography book, and a study of an artist.