Author: Rachel

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

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eligible2Eligible is Iowa Writer’s Workshop graduate Curtis Sittenfeld’s fifth novel.  It is a hilarious modern version of the classic story Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

In Eligible, we find that the Bennet family lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.  All five of the Bennet women are currently living at their parent’s home after their father’s recent heart attack.  Jane and Elizabeth have both been living in New York City.  Jane is a yoga instructor and lives on the Upper East Side.  Lizzie has been writing for feminist fashion magazine and lives in Brooklyn.  Mary has never left home and is working on her third online master’s degree.  Kitty and Lydia also live at home and spend most of their time at CrossFit workouts.  Mrs. Bennet is consumed with her ladies’ clubs and galas.

Of course, as in the original novel, Mrs. Bennet is very concerned with her daughters being married. The Bennet family goes to a Fourth of July picnic, where they meet Chip Bingley.  Mr. Bingley was recently the star on the television show, Eligible which is a dating show where 25 women try to convince the star to marry her.  Also at the picnic, is Fitzwilliam Darcy whom Lizzie does not find charming.  But first impressions can be wrong.

An updated and hilarious version of the classic Pride and Prejudice.  You will find yourself laughing out loud while reading this book.  Available in print, large print and audiobook.

 

If you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, you might also like these other adaptations:

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Legend of the Road Mangler by Phil Kaufman

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road mangler

Phil Kaufman is an American record producer, tour manager and author.  He began his career as an actor and had small parts in Spartacus, Pork Chop Hill and Riot in Juvenile Prison.  His acting career ended when he was arrested for marijuana smuggling.  While he was in jail, he met the infamous Charles Manson.  After Kaufman was released from prison, he got a job driving for Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull.  At the time, Jagger was living in Los Angeles mixing the album Beggars Banquet.  This was the beginning of Phil’s career in music.  Mick Jagger referred to Kaufman as his “executive nanny”.

In Legend of the Road Mangler, Kaufman (who narrates the audiobook) talks about his adventures while he was on the road with the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Gram Parsons, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Joe Cocker, Etta James, Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Marty Stuart, Nanci Griffith, and others.  Phil Kaufman is well known for stealing the body of Gram Parsons and burning it in Joshua Tree National Monument.  Phil tells the story as only he can tell it.  Included are the voices of the artists that know him best.

This audiobook is four hours long and it is great for a road trip!  Music fans will love the stories about what goes on behind the scenes with their favorite bands and artists.

 

 

 

 

 

The Dementia Caregiver by Marc Agronin

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dementia caregiver2No one likes to hear the news that a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia.  Suddenly you are the caregiver of someone with a neurocognitive disorder and you have no idea what that means.  What is dementia?  What do you need to do in order to take care of your loved one?  If you are in this situation and you have questions that need answers, then you should check out The Dementia Caregiver by Marc Argonin.

Even though the title of this books states that it is a guide, I would call it a manual.  This well researched book, (with well documented notations in the back of the book) explains what you need to know about neurocognitive disorders.  There are chapters that describe the different disorders on the spectrum, such as Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and dementia with lewy bodies.  Other chapters describe caregiving during mild stages, moderate stages and advanced stages.  The author also addresses known side effects such as depression, anxiety, apathy, sleep problems, agitation and psychosis.

Even though there are a lot of chapters devoted to learning about dementia, there is also a lot of information for the caregiver.  This book details information on long-term care and legal issues.  There is a wealth of information on resources such as the Alzheimer’s Association, Medicare, Geriatric Care and Elder Law.  And most importantly, there is information for caregivers on how to take care of themselves!  Caregivers need to be healthy too!

As stated in the book: “Becoming a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or another neurocognitive disorder can be an unexpected, undesirable, underappreciated-and yet noble-role.  It is heart-breaking to watch someone lose the very cognitive capacities that once helped to define them as a person.  But because of the nature of these disorders, the only to become an effective caregiver and cope with the role’s many daily challenges is to become well-informed about the disease. With the right information, resources, and tips on caregiving and working with professionals, you can become your own expert at both caring for your charge and taking care of yourself.”

 

 

 

June is Audiobook Month

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Now that the school year is over, many people are going on vacation.  If you are going on a roadtrip soon, you might want to consider listening to an audiobook.  The miles can fly by while you enjoy listening to a fantastic book.  And if your family cannot agree on listening to one book, try Playaways.  Playaways are MP3 devices that have books loaded on them.  All you need to do is plug in your headphones and push play!  We even provide the batteries for them.

Need some ideas on an audiobook to check out?  Below are some suggestions or ask one of our friendly librarians for help.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
harry potter stone

Jim Dale narrates all seven of the Harry Potter books and he is THE BEST voice actor!  Somehow, Jim Dale is able to create a different voice for each and every character in the Harry Potter series which makes it so entertaining and easy to listen to in the car (and it is hard to shutoff the car when you reach your destination because the story is so good).  The Harry Potter series is full of fantasy, mystery and life lessons.  It will please everyone in the family.

 

bad beginningThe Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events Series) by Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket’s series of books about the forever unlucky Baudelaire children is deliciously narrated by Tim Curry, who does the readings for all 13 of the books in this series. The misadventures for the children start in this book when their parents die, and throughout the first novel “the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.” A great elementary school listen.

 

lion, witch, wardrobeThe Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis

Originally published in 1955, this classic story has delighted children for decades.  During a game of hide and seek, four children go through a wardrobe and find themselves in the magical realm of Narnia.  Only the Good King Aslan can defeat the dark magic of the White Witch.  An adventure story full of danger and thrills.

 

charlie chocolate factoryCharlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

If you are a parent of young children, there is a good chance that you read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when you were a child.  Introduce your children to Roald Dahl’s factory that is full of whimsy and full of perils to those children that are naughty.  Remember the Oompa Loompas?  The river of chocolate?  And who could forget the flying glass elevator? People of all ages love this story.

 

lightning thiefThe Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan

I love the Percy Jackson books and you will understand why they are so popular.  Percy Jackson discovers that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon, which makes him a demigod.  He learns that he is not the only one that has a Greek god or goddess for a parent when he goes to Camp Half-Blood.  But a prophecy foretold that a child of Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades would decide the fate of Olympus.  And now somehow has stolen Zeus’ lightning bolt and everyone suspects Percy.  A great series full of adventure that is interesting for the whole family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audie Awards

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audie awardsThe Audie Awards recognizes distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). 2016 is the 21st year of annual Audies Awards. The awards were announced in May 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.

The following audiobooks are available at the Rivershare libraries for checkout.

 

 

Audiobook of the Year: Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Best Male Narrator:  The English Spy by Daniel Silva

Fiction: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Humor: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Inspirational: To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander

Literary Fiction & Classics: Little Big Man by Thomas Berger

Multi-Voice Performance: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

Mystery: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Narration by Author: Born With Teeth by Kate Mulgrew

Nonfiction: Ghettoside by Jill Leovy

Original Work: The Starling Project by Jeffrey Deaver

Romance: The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

Thriller/Suspense: The Patriot Threat by Steve Berry

 

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald

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readersofbrokenwheelI love reading books that take place in Iowa. I find it interesting to see what authors think of my home state.  The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is set in fictional town Broken Wheel, Iowa.  And this book is unique because the author, Katarina Bivald, lives in Sweden. So, if you are curious as to how someone from Europe views life in the state of Iowa, you should definitely pick up this book.

Sara has traveled all the way from Sweden to meet her pen pal Amy, who lives in Broken Wheel, Iowa.  The plan is that Sara will stay with Amy for two months.  But when Sara arrives in Iowa, she learns that Amy has died.  But the townspeople of Broken Wheel knew that she was coming and they all welcome her to the town.  They tell her to stay in Amy’s house because that is what Amy would have wanted. Sara understandably feels strange staying in the house alone and having people give her food and drinks for free.  She tries to pay her own way but everyone refuses her.

Since she no longer has a hostess, Sara needs to find something to do. And, the town council is trying to think of how they can keep Sara entertained.  Sara and Amy bonded over books.  Both women were avid readers and they even exchanged books in the mail. When Sara ventures into Amy’s bedroom, she finds a room filled with books. Shortly after, Sara learns that Amy owned one of the buildings downtown. Sara decides to clean up the unused store and make it into a new bookstore. Many of the townspeople help her clean and repaint the building. Others find bookshelves and furniture. Soon, the tiny town of Broken Wheel has its own bookstore.

Sara enjoys finding books for the townspeople to read. She is able to match up books with the right person to read it. Soon, people from the neighboring town of Hope come to Broken Wheel to check out the new bookstore. Sara is dismayed to learn that people from Hope look down on people from Broken Wheel. So Sara forms a plan to get the people of townspeople reading. This is when she creates the shelf, “The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend”.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a very fun book to read. Plus, it has the added bonus of discussing many different book titles throughout the story. Perhaps you will find your next read in the pages of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend.

Note: If you listen to the audiobook version, you will find the Iowan accent to be very interesting.

 

 

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

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lucybartonIf you have not read a book by Elizabeth Strout, you need to change that right now. Her latest novel, My Name is Lucy Barton will be sure to please. Strout’s writing is honest and beautiful as she writes about a mother and her daughter.

We find Lucy Barton in a hospital room in New York City recovering from complications after her surgery. Lucy’s husband does not like hospitals, and he knows that she is lonely in the hospital, so he asks her mother to come and visit. Lucy’s mother lives in a small rural town in Illinois, about an hour south of Rock Island. Lucy and her mother have not seen each other for quite a few years since Lucy moved to New York. But mother and daughter are happy to be reunited. Her mother refuses to leave her daughter alone and she sits in the chair in the hospital room during her entire visit. The reader learns more about Lucy through the women’s conversations. For a time, their family was so poor that they lived in a relative’s garage. We learn of Lucy’s struggle to become a writer. The women discuss their family and people from home. Throughout theses conversations, it is often what is not said that speaks volumes about the women’s relationship. Pieces of a story are not revealed and the reader is often left wondering what really happened.

I enjoy listening to audiobooks and My Name is Lucy Barton was a superb audiobook. The narrator, Kimberly Farr, has such a pleasant voice to listen to that I did not want to shut off my car stereo. What made My Name is Lucy Barton such a memorable book was the way that the story made you feel. It is difficult to describe what My Name is Lucy Barton is about. It is not a murder mystery and it is not a romantic love story. And yet, this books feels more real than most because it is an honest portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship. It is about two women that love each other even though they do not always have an easy relationship.

My Name is Lucy Barton is the fifth novel by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Elizabeth Strout.

Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart

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girlwithgunThe year is 1914 and three sisters find themselves involved in an accident.  The sisters were driving in their buggy when a motor vehicle plowed into them.  Men came to the women’s aid and lifted the damaged buggy off of them.  The oldest woman, Constance Kopp, is outraged.  The driver, Henry Kaufman, is disrespectful but Constance informs him that she will be sending him a bill.  Miss Kopp makes Mr. Kaufman look quite ridiculous.  She is six feet tall and towers over this petty little man.  Her sister Norma warns Constance to drop the matter but she will do no such thing.  To Constance, it is the principle of the matter.  And so, she sends Henry Kaufman a bill.

After receiving no response, Constance decides to go down to Mr. Kaufman’s silk dying factory.  Once she is there, she meets with Mr. Kaufman’s sister who is not at all surprised by the story.  Constance and Henry have another meeting.  At this time, he threatens the youngest sister, Fleurette.  Without thinking, Constance goes into a blind rage and finds herself smashing Henry Kaufman’s head against the wall.  Unfortunately, she did this in front of his low life friends.

Constance realizes that she has made an enemy.  Bricks with threatening notes attached break through windows.  Cars drive past the farm house with men yelling for Fleurette.  Norma is upset with Constance for pursuing the matter.  Constance ends up confiding in the sheriff.  He posts deputies at her house and gives each woman a gun and teaches them how to shoot.  The sheriff instructs them on what to do in order to collect evidence.  Eventually Henry Kaufman slips up and the sheriff is able to arrest him.

But there is more to the story.  Throughout the book, the reader is given clues to Constance’s past.  We learn why these women moved from Brooklyn, New York to live on a farm in New Jersey.  And there is the case of the missing baby that Constance solves.  Girl Waits With Gun is the story of a unique woman that stood up to a bully and protected her sisters.  And, Miss Constance Kopp was one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs.  This book is based off of true events.  You can find it in print and audiobook.

To learn more about Constance Kopp, visit the author’s website.

True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa

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True Story starring James Franco and Jonah Hill
True Story starring James Franco and Jonah Hill

December 19, 2001.  Waldport, Oregon.  The body of a young boy was discovered floating in a pond.  No one knew who the boy was and there were no missing persons reports for a child.  Three days later, divers searched the pond, looking for clues on the boy’s identity.  There was a highway bridge over the pond, and it was suspected that a car with the child’s family may be in the pond.  Divers found the body of a girl with a rock tied around her ankle.  The media ran the story asking for help finding the children’s parents.  A babysitter stepped forward and identified the children.  From there, the authorities searched the children’s residence.  It was evident that someone had packed up the personal belongings.  But the father, mother, and younger sister of the children were missing.  Divers searched the water nearby and found two suitcases.  Inside were the bodies of the mother and the baby girl.  Four out of the five members of the Longo family were dead.  Mary-Jane and her children Zachary, Sadie and Madison had been murdered.  Christian Longo was no where to be found.

The story of the Longo family is truly horrific.  Stories such as these remind us all that there are dangerous people in the world.  Even a person that you love and trust could be the person that ends that your life.  But True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa is not just about the murdered Longo family.

Michael Finkel lives in Montana and is a writer for the New York Times.  He had recently written a story that was not entirely true and was terminated for it.  So when he gets a call from a journalist at The Oregonian, Finkel expects the call to be about his disgrace.  Instead, the newspaper writer asks him about his reaction to Christian Longo being arrested after claiming to be Michael Finkel from the New York Times.

And so begins the bizarre relationship between the accused murderer and the disgraced journalist.  Longo calls Finkel from prison on a weekly basis.  They exchange letters.  Finkel even drives to Oregon to visit him a few times.  And Michael Finkel is in the court room during Longo’s trial.

True Crime: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel
True Crime: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel

An interesting story of murder, deceit and redemption.  True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa is a must read for true crime fans and for those interested in human behavior.  It is available in print and in audiobook.

There is also a movie based off of the book.  True Story was released in 2015.  It stars James Franco as Christian Longo and Jonah Hill as Michael Finkel.  True Story is available on DVD from the library.

Atomic Training: Microsoft Office Edition

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atomicWhether you use it all the time or are new to it, everyone can benefit from some training on Microsoft Office.  The software is updated every three years and features and functions change with that update.  Also, the screen does not look the same and you have to relearn where to find important commands.

Atomic Training can help!  If you go to the Online Resources page on our website, you will find Atomic Training.  Once you are there, you will have to login with an email account and password.  It is free to sign up. A nice feature of Atomic Training is that you can select to get email reminders to keep you on task.  Atomic Training has several video tutorials that will teach you how to use Microsoft Office.  Included are videos for Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft Office 2013.

Once you are in Atomic Training, you will find several videos.  You can choose to watch Introduction to Office, Advanced Office training, or What’s New to 2013 Office.  Or, if you need to learn more about one part of Microsoft Office, you can do that too.  There are videos on Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.  Need something specific?  Atomic Training has tutorials on how to make a newsletter, graphs, charts and animation.

So if you are trying to learn how to use Microsoft Office, or it you need a refresher, then go to Atomic Training.  Even if you are a seasoned pro, you may learn some new tips and tricks that will help you use Microsoft Office more efficiently.PowerPointExcelWord