MADreads
Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Oldie but super-goodie
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.
Lineup announced
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.
Internet scandal is forever
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.
Science Fiction winners
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.
Sweet Anticipation for September 2017
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:
Everyone has bad days, it's what you do with them
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!
Taco Time!
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.
I would like to have dinner with Georgia O'Keeffe
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.