Author: Stephanie

Online Reading Challenge – October

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Welcome Readers!

This month the Online Reading Challenge travels to Iceland. Our Main title for October is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Here’s a quick summary from the publisher.

Set against Iceland’s stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Set against Iceland’s stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution.

Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tv=ti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes’s death looms, the farmer’s wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they’ve heard.

Riveting and rich with lyricism, Burial Rites evokes a dramatic existence in a distant time and place, and asks the question, how can one woman hope to endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

Looking for some other books set in Iceland? Try any of the following.

As always, check each of our locations for displays with lots more titles to choose from!

Online Reading Challenge – September Wrap-Up

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read something set in New York City that you enjoyed? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis. This is a dual timeline book, but both timelines take place in the same physical place, the New York Public Library. I was excited when I realized this was the main book for this month! I read this book for the first time when it was initally published in August 2020, but reread it to refresh myself for this challenge. This is one of my favorite books set in New York City, as well as one of my favorites set in a library. The dual mysteries, plus all the bucking against tradition, hooked me. Let’s get into it!

1913, New York: Laura Lyons and her family live in an apartment within the New York Public Library. Cool, right?! Laura’s husband is the superintendent for the library, which allows her family to live in this stately building. Laura should be happy with her lot in life, but she wants more. Laura applies to Columbia Journalism School, showcasing her headstrong and passionate personality by persuing stories all over the city. On one of her adventures in Greenwich Village, she discovers the Heterodoxy Club. This radical group is an all-female safe space where women can freely discuss their opinions on any subject without fear of judgment or retribution. These meetings change Laura’s opinions on a lot of things, one being the traditional role she plays in her family. A crisis back home sends Laura reeling. Valuable books have been reported stolen at the library, her husband’s credibility is in ruins, and her family is starting to fall apart. She has to decide where her loyalities lie before it’s too late.

Flash forward 80 years to 1993, New York: Sadie Donovan is at a loss. Her grandmother is the famous essayist Laura Lyons, something Sadie is both proud of, but also something she struggles with every day. After Sadie gets her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library, her joy is quickly squashed. Rare books, manuscripts, and notes are disappearing from the Berg Collection, framing Sadie as the library’s main suspect. Determined to save both her career and reputation, Sadie finds a private security expert who agrees to help her find the real culprit. Sadie expects to find the thief and her missing items, but is surprised when secrets from her own family’s past pop up demanding attention.

While I enjoyed this book, I admit that at points the two characters in two different timelines confused me. I would have loved separate books – one from Laura’s point of view and one from Sadie’s point of view. The themes of female empowerment, fighting against the oppression of women’s rights, and free-thinking women in the early 20th century pulled me in and kept me wanting to read more though. The Lions of Fifth Avenue was intriguing with its tales of sacrifice and secrets over generations. A solid four-star read for me!

In October, we’re headed to Iceland!

Hispanic Heritage Month Challenge 2023

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Log your reading and activities to earn badges throughout the challenge then enter your tickets into the prize drawings! This reading challenge is live on Beanstack from September 15th to October 16, 2023. Curious what you need to do? Sign up on Beanstack today either online or on the app!

This reading challenge has four different prize bundles for different ages!

Picture Book Bundle:

Middle Grade Chapter Book Bundle:

YA Bundle:

Adult Prize:

Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick: Wellness by Nathan Hill

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Join Simply Held to have certain celebrity book club picks automatically put on hold for you: Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager, and Oprah Winfrey. While Reese and Jenna generally announce a new title each month, Oprah’s selections are more sporadic. She has announced her newest selection: Wellness by Nathan Hill. Reminder that if you join Simply Held, you can choose to have these titles automatically put on hold for you.

_________________________________

Oprah Winfrey has selected Wellness by Nathan Hill.

Curious what Wellness is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

The New York Times best-selling author of The Nix is back with a poignant and witty novel about marriage, the often baffling pursuit of health and happiness, and the stories that bind us together. From the gritty ’90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and home-renovation hysteria, Wellness reimagines the love story with a healthy dose of insight, irony, and heart.

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the ’90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter cults disguised as mindfulness support groups, polyamorous would-be suitors, Facebook wars, and something called Love Potion Number Nine.

For the first time, Jack and Elizabeth struggle to recognize each other, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other. – Knopf

_________________________________

Join Simply Held to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!

Robert J Oppenheimer

- Stephanie Leave a comment

On July 21, 2023, Universal Pictures released the historical drama Oppenheimer, based on the life of Robert J. Oppenheimer. According to Box Office Mojo, Oppenheimer has grossed over 300 million dollars in domestic movie sales and nearly 800 million dollars in movie sales worldwide. The film stars Cillian Murphy as Robert J. Oppenheimer (1904-1967), an American theoretical physicist who was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project. The Los Alamos Laboratory was responsible for the design of the atomic bomb, and Oppenheimer is often referred to as the “father of the atomic bomb.”

Directed by Christopher Nolan, best known for science fiction films Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), and Tenet (2020), the film is mostly told through the perspective of Robert J. Oppenheimer, beginning in 1926 when he is a doctorate student at Cambridge University. Weaved into the story are scenes in black and white that tell the point of view of Lewis Strauss, a powerful figure in developing nuclear weapons after World Ward II, whose actions sabotaged Oppenheimer’s career. Visit Roger-Ebert for a more detailed movie review.

Oppenheimer is not merely a work of historical fiction, but a cinematic masterpiece with unforgettable performances by Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Emily Blunt. Oppenheimer is expected to be released on DVD sometime in October of this year and will be available at all three Davenport Library locations. While you are waiting for Oppenheimer, we recommend the following materials about the development of the atomic bomb currently in The Library collection.

 

Documentary

Oppenheimer (2023)

 

Nonfiction Books

Killing the Rising Sun: How American Vanquished World War II Japan by Bill O’Reilly

The Girls of Atomic City: the Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan

Trinity: a Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorn

The Bastard Brigade: the True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb by Sam Kean

Atomic Spy by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan

Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb by James Scott

Fallout: the Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World by Lesley Blume

 

Fiction Books

Trinity by Louisa Hall

Universe of Two by Stephen P. Kiernan

Hannah’s War by Jan Eliasberg

Bomb: the Race to Build-and Steal-the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

 

 

Hummingbird Heart by Travis Dandro

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Trigger warning: suicide, drug addiction, cancer, and death

Travis Dandro illustrates his teenage confusion during family tragedy in his graphic memoir, Hummingbird Heart. This graphic memoir was published in 2022 by Drawn and Quarterly. His first graphic novel,  King of King Court, was published in 2019 and won the Lynd Ward Prize for graphic novel of the year.

Hummingbird Heart chronicles Dandro’s life from right before he learned about his grandmother’s illness to when he moved away for college. This was a messy time in Dandro’s life. His drug-addicted father had just passed away by suicide. Still processing his death, Dandro is shocked to learn that his grandmother has cancer. While in high school, he moves in with his grandmother to be her caretaker. These changes takes place all while Dandro is a teenager. This doesn’t stop him from doing typical teenager things though: shoplifting, pranking, dating, and going on drives with his friends through town. After all, he’s a teenage boy trying to figure out his place.

One Halloween night, Dandro and two of his friends hatch a prank on one of their drives that backfires badly. Two of the boys bear the brunt of the punishment, while the other is left dealing with the fallout. This prank forces Dandro to realize that he needs to grow up. He can’t keep acting like a child. He needs to take responsibility and figure out his future. Dandro and his friends are sure to grow apart the older they get, especially when they move away. Throughout this memoir, Dandro examines the difficulties that teenagers go through as they fight for independence. His writing and drawings highlight the resiliency and his ability to find a way through all the traumas that were happening in his family.

This graphic memoir tugged at my heart through its incredibly detailed illustrations. His drawings switch from intricate drawings of random objects or animals to intensely emotional confrontations between characters. Pages of his work are densely drawn only to be abruptly interrupted by pages of minimal drawing. It keeps readers on the edge of their seats, similar to how Dandro felt during that difficult time in his life.

Sewing Machines and More!

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? This came about in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan set out Proclamation 4976, which made September National Sewing Month.

Want to learn how to sew? We can help you here at the Davenport Public Library. In addition to the many books on sewing that the library has available for checkout, we offer something unique! At the Library | Main, you can find the Studio 321 Makerspace available for our patrons to use. The Library has created a Makerspace, which is a place in which people with shared interests, especially in computing or technology, can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment and knowledge. The Library Makerspace is designed to encourage individuals to innovate, explore their creativity and ingenuity, and to collaborate with and inspire others. What does this have to do with sewing, you might ask? Well…. the Studio 321 Makerspace has sewing machines available for you to use in the library!

The Heavy Duty 4432 sewing machine is designed with your heavy duty projects in mind, from denim to canvas. With adjustable presser foot pressure, you can also sew very lightweight sheers, and the stainless steel bedplate allows fabrics to glide over the machine with ease. Among the 110 stitch applications is a one-step buttonhole. The Heavy Duty 4432 features a 6.25″ sewing space (needle to tower) and 4.25″ height, free arm, extra high pressure foot lifter, and variable needle positions.

Want to use the Makerspace? Here are some tips!

  • Makers must read all policies and sign the Makerspace Waiver and Release of Liability.
  • Anyone under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign the Makerspace waiver. Anyone under 11 must have an adult present during use of the Makerspace.
  • Makers agree to follow safety protocols and all instructions including those from Library staff and equipment manuals. Some equipment may require training from a staff member.
  • An orientation session will be conducted by Library staff upon a maker’s first visit. For subsequent visits, makers may request training from staff, if needed, when making an appointment.
  • Reservations for the Makerspace may be made at the Public Service Desk, by calling 563-326- 7832, or by visiting the library’s website at www.davenportlibrary.com. Check in at the Public Service Desk on the day of reservation

Curious what else is available in the Studio 321 Makerspace? Look below!

Throwback by Maurene Goo

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Just because people don’t show every emotion they have in all caps all the time, doesn’t mean that they’re not feeling them, too.” – Maurene Goo, Throwback

That quote sums up Maurene Goo’s newest young adult book, Throwback. This is the story of a mother and daughter struggling to understand each other and the universe’s plan to force them to talk.

Samantha Kang is the daughter of a first-generation Asian American immigrant. Her mother, Priscilla Jo, is just so hard to relate to. Samantha understands that her mom had a rough time growing up, but come on, her own life is hard too. It doesn’t help matters that her mom has ridiculously high expectations for Samantha in high school.

Priscilla was a former high school cheerleader who subscribed to all of the high school cliches. Sam has no interest in doing anything cliched in school. Their differences come to a head after a family medical emergency leaves the two fighting, throwing barbed words at each other that hurt. Sam only wants to get away from her mom. Calling a rideshare service, Sam expects to go somewhere familiar. Instead she finds herself thrown way back in time.

Sam has landed in the 1990s. With a 17-year-old Priscilla.

Sam is shocked. She has no idea why she is here or how to get home. Stuck dealing with her teenage mother and her obsession with homecoming, Sam also has to deal with backward ’90s attitudes and equally as frustrating outdated technology. What Sam isn’t prepared for are the feelings that are growing for a football player named Jamie, who understands Sam without trying.

With no way to get out of the ’90s, Sam has to figure out why she was sent back. Priscilla must be part of the reason she’s here. The more time Sam spends with Priscilla, the more she realizes that everything she thought she knew about her mom may not be true. Traveling back in time and hanging out with teenage Priscilla may end up being a positive experience.

This title is also available as a Libby eBook and a Libby eAudiobook.

You Lucky Dog by Julia London

- Stephanie Leave a comment

‘She’d done everything right. She’d gotten good grades in school, had gotten a good job, and had worked hard. She’d been a decent daughter, a better sister. She didn’t do drugs or drink much. She’d done everything right. It was not supposed to be this way. She was supposed to have it all by now, not be worrying about how to pay her rent.’ – Julia London, You Lucky Dog

Every once in a while, I need a reading break. When that happens, I look up feel good romances that I know will make me smile or laugh. My latest feel good read was You Lucky Dog by Julia London. I won’t lie – the cover hooked me first, giving me 101 Dalmatians vibes with the twisted together leashes. That plus basset hounds and I was ready to start reading. You Lucky Dog is the first in the the Lucky Dog series.

Carly Kennedy is struggling. Her new business, Carly Kennedy Public Relations, is not going well. She only has two clients, yet they are the neediest clients she has ever had and demand so much of her time. Her parents are divorced and are both now going through separate midlife crises that are way too much. Her mother bought her sister a basset hound WITHOUT asking her, causing said sister to completely melt down. Baxter, the basset, is now Carly’s problem. Baxter is a sad basset hound. In fact, Carly thinks he may be depressed. He can frequently be found with his head wedged in the corner of the room no matter Carly’s best efforts to coax him out. Baxter is growing on her though.

Yet another inconvenience is dropped on Carly’s plate when she comes home from work late one night to discover an imposter basset hound in her house. Her dog walker has switched out her sad basset for this perkier female basset who has no boundaries. This one is on her couch, chewing on things she shouldn’t be touching!

Max Sheffington is also confused. His happy basset hound, Haxel, has been replaced by this depressed male basset hound who, for some reason, will not get out of the corner of the room. Max is even more bewildered when Carly shows up on his front step demanding her dog back. It doesn’t help that Carly is pretty and extremely opinionated, facts that distract Max and simultaneously captivate him. He was expecting his dog walker, something that this gorgeous woman is not. Carly was expecting a stuffy old man given the name of the man she was told had her dog. Instead she finds a handsome man who is corrupting poor Baxter! Her dog is sprawled on the couch and has clearly been eating macaroni and cheese.

What most surprises Carly is that Baxter seems to be at home at Max’s house. He loves Hazel and follows her around. Since Baxter’s mood has improved, Carly decides that she needs to spend more time with Hazel and Max to keep him happy. It doesn’t take long for Carly to realize that there are feelings buzzing between her and Max, even though the two couldn’t be more different. Their lives end up being completely altered by an accidental dog swap.

While I enjoyed the premise, I found myself wanting to shake Carly at points (to be fair, I find myself more likely to want to shake the main characters when I’m reading romance – just TALK to each other already). Some of the solutions to her problems were right in front of her face, but she was just not seeing them. Regardless of my frustrations, this novel was adorable and exactly the brain break I needed. The main characters were both genuinely nice and cared about all the people in their lives. The fact that the author made Max’s brother autistic was a breath of fresh air. His portrayal was done sensitively and seeing him through Max’s eyes from both a scientific and familial point of view was also realistic. All in all, I enjoyed this book and am already searching for the second book, It Started with a Dog.

This title is also available in large print, as a Libby eBook, and Libby eAudiobook.

Lucky Dog series

  1. You Lucky Dog (2020)
  2. It Started with a Dog (2021)

‘That was the problem with social media—there were people in the world who seemingly existed just to tear other people down, but you couldn’t give them any oxygen. You couldn’t let them steal your mojo. And the best way to keep your mojo intact was to stay off social media and allow your publicist to post for you and monitor comments.’ – Julia London, You Lucky Dog

Last on his feet: Jack Johnson and the battle of the century / art by Youssef Daoudi and poetics by Adrian Matejka

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Jack Johnson was the world’s first Black heavyweight champion. His life is examined in Last on His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century with art by Youssef Daoudi and poetics by Adrian Matejka.

Last on His Feet tells the story of the Battle of the Century: the fight between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries. On July 4, 1910 in Reno, Nevada, Jack Johnson, the world’s first Black heavyweight champion, was preparing to fight Jim Jeffries, a former white heavyweight champion. Why was this called the Battle of the Century? Well, that’s ‘simple’: race. Because of his race, Johnson was the most infamous athlete in the world. The public saw his as a brute beating up people to take what was theirs. Jim Jeffries, on the other hand, was known as ‘the great white hope’. Their battle was going to be legendary.

Johnson’s journey to convince Jeffries to fight took years. He had to chase Jeffries across the globe, trying to get Jeffries to just fight him already. You see, Jeffries was already retired by the time he agreed to fight. Their battle happened at the peak of the Jim Crow era. For weeks leading up to the fight, the public was hollering for Johnson’s blood. The day of, spectators didn’t hold back while hurling insults at Johnson. They were desperate for order to be restored in the world of boxing. Many believed that Johnson had upset the racial hierarchy and that the only way for it to be restored was by Jeffries beating him like he had beaten everyone else.

Last on His Feet also chronicles Johnson’s life before he started boxing, what happened in his personal life while he was boxing, and what he did in the years after the Battle of the Century. This book covers a wide range of years, but all is necessary to understand Johnson’s motivations. It is important to note that this graphic portrait of Jack Johnson may be based on real events, but the author has made some minor changes to locations and dates. At the end of the book, the author has included a timeline of the actual events.