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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
There are lots of ways to be strong. When Rob Kearney was a kid he was STRONG. He was able to lift heavy boxes and open jars with the tightest lids. He tried activities that tested his strength. His favorite sport was weightlifting and he felt mighty and powerful like a superhero! In fact, he had dreams of becoming the strongest man in the world.
If you were charmed by Marcel and his shoes, meet this snail who hails from France. From his beret, red scarf and blue and white striped shirt, down to his trail of “shimmery stuff.” From his speedy race across a checked tablecloth to reach the delicious salad with very specific ingredients, “a salad with croutons and light vinaigrette and absolutely no carrots,” to his sad realization that no one chooses snails as their favorite animal.
Camille Gardner's life ended five years ago when her daughter died. The loss alone devastated her. But the lack of justice for her daughter has filled her with so much anger she doesn't have any room for anything else. And she has no outlet for all that rage. Until now. Alison Gaylin explores the depths to which someone might go in order to get justice (or is it revenge) and brings the reader along for the thrilling ride.
My favorite character from The Office is Oscar Martinez. Also, they are all my favorite character. I've watched all nine seasons twice (more about that later) and could talk about The Office all day. It turns out, the actors who portray the characters Pam and Angela could talk about it all day, too, and they do on their Office Ladies podcast!
“Remove my nose ring.” Geeta hasn’t heard that expression in a while, but she immediately knows what the woman before her is asking: make me a widow. Geeta has been an outcast in her small Gujarati village ever since her husband Ramesh mysteriously disappeared five years ago. While Geeta most certainly did not kill her husband, she does little to dispute the rumors that she’s a killer, since it keeps the villagers at arm’s length.
This book created by award-winning graphic artist Timothy Goodman is visually stunning. It's a hybrid graphic memoir of when the author moves to Paris in 2019 to take a break from everything and unexpectedly meets the love of his life. You might guess from the title of the book that the author always thinks his relationships are going to last forever when in reality they are never forever. This book is about that, one man exposing his heart and soul and the details of a crushing short-lived romance.
“On the African veld, there is a village. As the sun sets, parents tell their children, ‘It is time for bed.’” I Just Want to Say Good Night is a universal story of childhood. While Rachel Isadora’s beautiful oil paint illustrations transport children to a far away African landscape, all the cheeky little ways Lala employs to stay up just a little bit longer will feel wholly familiar. I can imagine my own three-year-old in central Wisconsin saying… “I just want to say goodnight to the little ants” or "Yes. Yes. I am coming.
Booklist is continually putting out Top 10 lists of recommended reads. If you like reading biographies, then checkout the list of Top 10 Biographies below. This year includes biographies of activists, musicians, writers, and more.
Karen Brooks gives Chaucer's Wife of Bath a chance to tell her side of the story in this vivid and absorbing tale of how a woman could gain agency in her own life in a time when she legally had none.
It is summertime and hopefully you will get time outdoors to enjoy nature. The new book Wings, Waves, & Webs by Robin Mitchel Cranfield might inspire you go on a pattern hunt next time you are out.
